Changing Fate
by Benzux
Summary: Some say fate is malleable. That our actions, and the actions of those around us are what ultimately dictate how our lives unfold. What would this mean for two people, whose fates have been intertwined? Could the threads of fate be separated, and united with someone else? Yuzuru x Yuri fic. Set after the events of the Anime.(Better story description/premise in 1st chapter's AN)
1. Chapter 1 - Déjà-vu

**AN: Greetings, my dear readers! This is my first Angel Beats! fanfiction, though I absolutely love the Anime. I'm quite surprised myself that I only recently started reading (and now, writing) fanfictions about it. Anyway, after reading a couple of fanfictions, an idea came to my mind about a possible story, and when inspiration strikes, you _have_ to write!**

 **The premise for this story is the same as nearly every other Angel Beats! Fanfiction out there: everyone has been reincarnated, and eventually their paths cross. Now, usually, I am an avid shipper of Yuzuru and Kanade. I mean, they were fated to be together, right? But, as the summary says, fate is malleable, and in this fic, the one who ultimately changes fate is Yuri. From the first moments of the Anime, I liked Yuri as a character, and I somewhat expected there to be some sort romantic development between her and Otonashi. As we know, that didn't happen, but that's what fanfictions are for!**

 **And so, came about the idea for this fic. So, for those of you who enjoy the Yuzuru x Yuri pairing, rejoice! I hope everyone enjoys reading this, because, as always, I had a great time writing it.**

* * *

 **Chapter 1 – Déjà-vu**

 _Déjà-vu. The incomprehensible feeling that something one has just experienced has happened before in the past. It has baffled people for as long as there has been a way to observe and analyse it. Many have tried to find reasons for the phenomenon. Our minds briefly remembering a long-forgotten memory? Proof that at some point, our memories have been wiped as a result of alien experiments? A sign or warning of something yet to come? Spirits trying to communicate with us? Our mind trying to connect two unrelated events together? Or perhaps a memory from a past life? No clear reason has ever been found for the enigma that is Déjà-vu. Whatever the case may be, I, Otonashi Yuzuru, have experienced it for as long as I can remember._

 _And when I say that, I mean that I have experienced it_ a lot _._

 _I cannot remember when exactly I started experiencing Déjà-vu, but I do know that as I have grown older, it has become more frequent. Ordinary people will experience the phenomenon occasionally, perhaps a couple times a year, but not I. Every week, something happens that triggers the phenomenon, sometimes multiple times in one day. As if that wasn't abnormal enough, my experience with Déjà-vu also slightly differs from what other people experience._

 _Normally, when Déjà-vu occurs, it's the result of something specific happening. At that moment, a person gets a strong feeling that the same exact thing has happened in the past, when in reality, it's the first time the person is experiencing it. That happens with me too, but that's where the similarities end. You see, I_ know _what triggers it for me. It's the same things every single time. Sometimes I'm ready for it, sometimes I am not. Also, the feeling is much stronger for me than for other people, it seems. When it triggers, I can clearly feel a connection to a past event, and sometimes I even very briefly remember things that have never happened to me._

 _Crazy, right?_

 _That's what all my friends have told me when I've told them about it. Back in high school, I even lost sleep because of it, as I was struggling to find the reason why I am special. Nowadays I don't pay any attention to it any more. Whenever something triggers it, I try to ignore the feeling to the best of my ability and focus on the task at hand. Sometimes, it is quite difficult though._

 _As I mentioned, I know the things that trigger the feeling. Every single time I come across one of these triggers, it happens. A swan spreading its beautiful, white-feathered wings to take flight, the meal tickets at school one could use to get something at the school cafeteria, the sound of a gunshot, and so forth. In the past I tried to find some sort of connection between all the things, but to no avail. The most interesting trigger, however, is my own heartbeat. Whenever I something happens that causes my heartbeat to rise enough for me to hear and feel it, a very strong feeling of Déjà-vu appears. It is by far the strongest of the triggers, and here have been quite a few incidents where I've lost consciousness due to a combined effort from the Déjà-vu, and the exhaustion that caused my heartbeat to rise in the first place, usually from sports._

 _To this day, I still don't know why my Déjà-vu is special, but I've learned to live with it. I avoid anything that would cause my heartbeat to rise to uncomfortable levels, and I try to steer away from things that I know trigger it. Or, at least, that was the plan, until I met_ her.

I stepped out of the train and checked the time on my phone. The electronic numbers on the screen said 9:34. I still had time to get to the university. I pocketed my phone and started to walk the same path I had done for the past year. Economics wasn't the best choice of career, but I had to choose between that and healthcare, which just so happened to be one of the things that triggered my Déjà-vu. As I walked down the street I was abruptly stopped by a red light. I leaned against the steel pole and patiently awaited for the light to turn green again, but that's when I noticed something… odd.

On the other side of the road, waiting for the lights stood a girl. She looked to be about the same age as I, with pinkish-purple hair that went as far as her shoulders. Her green eyes looked off into the distance as she was listening to music from her headphones. Immediately as I saw her, a strong feeling of Déjà-vu came over me, stronger than anything else, even surpassing hearing my own heartbeat. I knew this girl. She was extremely familiar, and I felt like I was close friends with her, but at the same time, I knew that I had never seen her before in my _life_. A few moments later, the light turned green, but my gaze was glued to her. And as the green light stirred her awake from her thoughts, she looked back and met my gaze. She was about to cross the road, but froze, just like I did, when our eyes met. We simply stood there, staring at each other. When I realized that the light wouldn't be green for long, I quickly ran to the other side of the road. The girl kept her gaze on me the entire time, and as I ran past her, I was stopped by her hand grabbing onto mine. I stopped and looked back at her. She looked dumbfounded with her mouth slightly agape, looking like she had seen a ghost. Now getting a closer look at her, I realized that she was extremely pretty.

"Hey, uhhh..." I said to her and rubbed the back of my neck.

The girl simply stood there and looked at me, before blinking a couple times and shaking her head a little, using her other hand to take off her headphones.

"Do I… Do I know you?" She asked.

"I should probably be asking the same thing from you." I replied to her.

"I feel like we've met before, but..." For the first time, she averted her gaze from mine.

"I… feel the same. There's something about you that I… recognise. I get this odd feeling like we've known for a long time."

"Really? You too?" She said enthusiastically, bringing her face closer to mine. I subconsciously noted that she smelled nice.

"Uhhh, yeah." I replied and turned my head away, her proximity causing a slight blush to appear on my cheeks. "You know, you're kinda awfully close, and I need to get to the University by 10 soooo..."

Upon hearing this, the girl flinched and pulled back a little, then, noticing that she was still holding my hand, quickly pulled it away. I could clearly see that she was now blushing as well.

"Sorry, I must have been keeping you with my ramblings." She muttered and bowed quickly.

"Ah, it's no problem, I had time to spare anyway." I said and rubbed the back of my neck.

"No, I… really am sorry. I… should be going too." The girl said and glanced back at the traffic lights. While we had talked, the light had turned green again and she hurried over to the other side of the road.

"Ah, wait! I want to know your name!" I shouted back at her.

"Yuri!" She shouted back at me as she turned around briefly, then disappeared into the crowd.

Something in me clicked as I heard her name. I most definitely knew this girl from somewhere, I just didn't know where. Her name, face and, well, smell would linger in my mind for the rest of the day, distracting me from my studies.

* * *

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

 _My heart was beating like crazy, but why? I lifted my hand and stared at it for a few seconds, before turning my head back in the direction of the pedestrian crossing. I couldn't see the orange-haired boy any more. Why did he feel so familiar? He triggered a Déjà-vu moment, and the feeling was stronger than ever, even stronger than back when I had first met Kanade a year ago. The two of us hadn't managed to figure out the reason for why we had these strange memories, as if from a past life, but they had settled down once we became friends. Was this boy someone similar to us? He did say he felt like I was familiar to him…_

I was brought out of my thoughts by a vibration coming from my pocket. I jumped a little and fumbled around trying to find my phone. The caller ID was all too familiar to me.

"Yuri? Where are you right now? You're running late." Kanade's calm voice said to me.

"Ah, am I? Shit, sorry, I'll be there in a sec." I replied to her quickly.

"Are you okay? You sound like something's bothering you."

"N-no, I'm fine. I just… met someone, that's all." I thought for a moment before continuing. I knew I had to meet the orange-haired boy again. "Look, I know I promised we'd hang out a lot today, but something's come up, so I'll have to cut it short, okay?"

"That's fine." Kanade replied after a brief pause.

"Thanks, Kanade. Hey, you go to the University, right? How would you say your classes usually end if they start at 10?" I asked her, but mentally slapped myself afterwards.

"Why are you suddenly asking that? Never mind, don't answer. You know I take special courses, right? My timetable is completely different from an ordinary student's." She replied to me.

"Oh, right. Yes, of course. Sorry I asked. Forget it, I'll come over there now."

"See you soon then. Oh, but to answer your question, I think it depends on what you're studying, but you could expect classes to end at around 4 pm. Healthcare students tend to have longer days than others, however."

"Really? Thanks again. I'll be there soon, bye!" I said and ended the call.

 _Around 4 pm, huh? In that case, I'll wait around for him at 3, just to be sure._ I thought to myself as I walked over to the cafe Kanade and I were supposed to meet at.

* * *

The day went by rather quickly, though I wasn't able to concentrate fully. The girl I had met, Yuri, was on my mind constantly. Why did she feel so familiar? Perhaps she was linked to my "special" Déjà-vu? I had been absent-minded during classes, and after the day was finished at half past 4, I went full autopilot. I couldn't bring her out of my thoughts, but I didn't really know why. I didn't even notice when someone was clearly calling out to me.

"Heeeeelllooo? Earth to Otonashi!" My classmate called out to me as we walked towards the University gate.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I didn't notice you there." I replied back to him. "I was uh, lost in my thoughts."

"You've been 'lost in your thoughts' for the entire day. What have you got rattling in that little dome of yours?" He said and playfully bonked my head. "Wait, let me guess – You're thinking of a girl, right?"

I stopped in my tracks immediately. Bullseye! Although, I wasn't thinking of her _like that_. I don't think so, at least. She was pretty. And smelled nice too. Wait, no! I'm only thinking of her because of what she said, and how familiar she feels! Nothing else!

"Was I right? I knew it! You're blushing! Hah! Go on then, what's she like? Does she go to our University?"

"What? No, you're wrong. I mean, I _was_ thinking of someone, but not like that!"

"Keep telling yourself that, Otonashi! Maybe you'll believe it one day!" He said to me and winked before running off.

I sighed and slowly walked through the gate. I wanted to get home as soon as possible to set my thoughts straight.

"Seriously, can some people just not take a hint..." I muttered to myself as I turned to walk towards the station.

"Otonashi." I heard a semi-familiar voice from behind me.

I turned around and was assaulted by another feeling of Déjà-vu. Standing by the gates was Yuri, the same girl I had met earlier today. Accompanying the Déjà-vu were also the memories I had of her, namely the feeling of her hand clasped around mine and her smell… Stop that train of thought right there! I could feel a slight blush making its way onto my cheeks.

"Uh, yeah, that's me." I replied to her without really thinking about it. "Yuri, right? Were you… waiting for me?"

"Yes, I was. I decided that I…" She suddenly diverted her gaze and started playing with the hem of her skirt, looking nervous. "I needed to see you again. And I don't mean anything by that, it's just that… you're so familiar, especially your name and… stuff."

"No, no I wouldn't have thought anything like that. I… honestly had the same feeling. I've spent this day thinking about you and our meeting earlier..." I rubbed the back of my neck and suddenly realized what I had just said.

"W-what? You were t-thinking about m-me?" Yuri backed away slightly and waved her hands in front of her. I could see that her face was covered with a bright blush.

"N-no I d-didn't mean it l-like that" I was now the one blushing and waving my hands. "I was just wondering why I felt like I knew you."

Yuri composed herself and took a step towards me. Any signs of the blush previously on her face were now gone. I wished I could do the same trick.

"Really? You were _only_ thinking about that about me? Your blush says otherwise~" She said and giggled.

"H-hey! You were the one blushing just a moment ago." I sighed and facepalmed, trying to calm myself and get rid of the blush. "Anyway, you said you were waiting for me because you wanted to meet me again. How long did you wait here?"

Yuri twitched as I asked her that question, and I could see her tense up slightly. Her hands returned to the hem of her skirt. She looked cute when she did that, though I must admit I also thought that way when she giggled. And she was just cute in gene… Wait! Stop, bad brain!

"I, uhh… well… about… one and a half… hours..." She said after a few moments, trailing off at the end.

"You were here at three?" I suddenly got the feeling I should tease her back. "Were you that eager to see me again?"

"Well, I was supposed to meet a friend but I had to cut the meeting short… Hey wait!" Her cheeks became tinted red again. "I already said I didn't mean anything like that with it! I just… needed to see you again, since we had… similar feelings. A-and I didn't know when you'd finish, so I came early just in case."

"I'm just messing with you. Now we're even, aren't we? But I don't think this is the best place to continue having a conversation like this..." I looked around us as I finished that. We were drawing attention, as many inquisitive stares were sent in our direction.

"Oh, right, yes. Do you like, want to go to a cafe or something? And don't think that this is a date, because it isn't!" She took another step towards me and pointer her finger at me, only a few centimetres way from my face.

"Yeah yeah, I get it. Sounds good to me, but I don't really know any good cafes, so… lead the way, I guess?"

"Hmmmm… well, we could go to the cafe where I was earlier with my friend, but I feel like going to a different one." She pulled her arm back and took on a thoughtful pose. "I think I know a good place near here. _Cafe la Soleil_ , I believe it was called. Come on then, let's go!"

With that, Yuri turned around and started walking down the street, stopping after a few steps to turn back to me. I swung my pack over my shoulder and walked over to her. _We probably look like a couple, walking together like this_. I thought as we made our way to the cafe. Wait, why did I think that? I could feel the heat rising to my cheeks, but I quickly erased the thought before Yuri could notice it. There was definitely something about her that made her extremely familiar to me, but I didn't know what it was, or _why_ it was. This feeling of Déjà-vu had never before happened with a person, but I guessed that if that was the case, there must be something special about her. Perhaps she could give me some answers? And if what she said was true, then she also felt the same way about me. Only one way to find out, and it included spending time with her, which I didn't mind at all.

* * *

The cafe I had chosen was nice and quiet, despite being quite close to the university. We ordered some drinks and sat down at a remote table, as what we were discussing was kind of a private matter. Otonashi told me about his Déjà-vu experiences, and he was glad to hear that I experienced similar things, because it meant that he wasn't the only weirdo around. We shared laughs with each other, and our conversations seemed… natural. Like we'd known each other for such a long time that we could talk about practically anything and make a meaningful and fun conversation out of it. I told him about Kanade, and how we'd met a year ago. He said that like my name, the name "Kanade" also felt familiar to him, though he couldn't quite figure out why. We didn't just talk about our unique form of Déjà-vu, however. We talked about ourselves, and we both felt like sharing information between us was easy, which resulted in us ending up using our first names to address each other, like we were the best of friends. And I truly felt like that. But there was something else behind those feelings as well. Something which I couldn't quite place, but which made my heart race. I honestly _enjoyed_ his company, and not just because we were "kindred spirits". I enjoyed him as a person, and I got the feeling that he did too. Before long, we had already spent two hours simply talking with each other, having finished our drinks long ago. We hadn't even noticed time flowing by until Yuzuru happened to glance over at the clock on the wall.

"Oh crap, it's that late already? Hatsune's going to be absolutely livid. I promised her I'd be home by 6." Yuzuru said and pulled out his phone.

"Oh my, we did talk for an awfully long time, didn't we." I replied and giggled. "Well? Has your imouto been worried about you?" I poked him in the arm as a teasing smile made its way onto my face. Yuzuru had told me that he was close with his younger sister, and that they lived together, though he didn't strike me as a sis-con.

"Eh, maybe not as much as I had hoped. Only one missed call and two messages. I guess I just didn't notice them, I was so enraptured in talking with you." Yuzuru said and pocketed his phone, then raising his gaze to meet mine.

I could feel a slight warmth rising to my cheeks. "Don't say it like that, baka. You'll make me think you dragged me to this cafe for entirely different reasons." I suppressed the blush and smirked at him as I poked him in the arm again.

"I-I didn't mean it like that, and you know it!" Yuzuru had a slight blush on his cheeks. It was so easy to tease him. "And besides, it was technically _you_ who dragged me into the cafe, which makes _me_ question whether you had some other reasons for it." He replied to my teasing with a bit of teasing of his own.

"Hah! I'll give you that one. Now we're even." I laughed and winked at him, to which he replied with a laugh of his own. "Hey, if you've got time tomorrow, could we like… do this again? I really enjoy talking with you."

"Oh, uhhhh sure, why not. I enjoyed this a lot more than I had anticipated. But, don't you have some… I don't know… like… _girl_ -friends you'd like to spend time with?" He rubbed the back of his neck with his arm, something which I noticed he did a lot.

"Well, I've really only got a couple of friends that I'm close with, and Kanade's one of them. Oh, I know, I'll try to get Kanade to meet up sometimes as well, you two should definitely get to know each other."

"Alright, yeah, I'm up for it. Should we… exchange phone numbers? Just so you don't have to wait around for me at the University gates for an hour." He said as he pulled his phone back out of his pocket.

"Hmmmm? Trying to get a girl's number now, are we?" I replied with a teasing smirk. "I'm just messing with you, of course I'll do that. Anything to not get stared at by everyone like I'm some weirdo, standing by the gates for extended periods of time."

We exchanged numbers and Yuzuru got up and ready to leave.

"Well, Hatsune's waited long enough at this point. I guess I'll… see you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, see you tomorrow, Yuzuru!" I waved at him as he left the cafe.

I sighed as I looked at my phone. Yuzuru's contact information was displayed on the small screen. _Come to think of it, this is the first time I've exchanged phone numbers with a boy._ I thought to myself and a slight blush made its way onto my cheeks. _Ugh, why_ _does he cause my thoughts to always wander in that direction! Maybe it's just because I don't have much experience in interacting with men, or because I feel like I've known him for a long time, and our teasing banter corrupts my brain. Yeah, that must be it._ I sighed again as I put my phone on the table and stared out the window.

"Everything alright, Nakamura-san?" A familiar voice called out to me.

"Huh? Yeah, everything's okay." I turned and replied to Kashou-san.

Kashou was the owner of La Soleil. He was a little older than I was, but we had known each other for some time now. I wouldn't call us friends, though. We only really saw each other whenever I came to his cafe. I never thought anything of us being acquaintances, since he was an extroverted fellow who acted very familiar with all of his customers.

"If you say so." Kashou replied with a smile as he continued to wipe the table next to me. He might've been the owner of the cafe, but other than him, there were only three other workers. "This was the first time I've seen you with a boy here. Judging by the fact that you exchanged contact information, you haven't known for a long time. Is he a friend?"

"Well, I guess you could call him- Hey, wait! How do you know we swapped contact information?!"

"Sorry, Nakamura-san. I couldn't help but overhear some of your conversations. You two sounded like you were the best of friends, or perhaps something… _more_ than that..." He paused for a bit and winked at me. "But I also got the feeling from observing you two that you've only recently gotten acquainted."

"...Have I told you that your ability to so easily eavesdrop on people is creepy." I said a I rested my head onto my palm.

"Hah! I'm sure either you or Tachibana-san has told me that before. But back to the point, I really am curious about you two."

"How do I explain it? I… met him for the first time earlier today, but I instantly felt like he was… an old friend. Or something like that. We're… alike… in a way, and talking with him seems so… right, like it's the most normal thing in the world for the two of us."

"Hmmm… Isn't it the same with you and Tachibana-san as well?"

"Well, yes, it was when we first met. It's probably the reason why we're such good friends. But with Yuzuru… I don't know, the feeling is… stronger, I think. I can't really explain it..."

"No, you don't have to explain it." Kashou said as he picked up the glasses from the table. "I think I get it, somewhat. Perhaps… perhaps it's _fate_."

"Fate?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. "I didn't think you'd be a person who believes in something like that."

"Maybe I do, maybe I don't. Whatever the case may be, it may be an explanation for your predicament. Fate is pulling you two – or three – together. For what reason? I cannot say.

" _Fate_ , huh..."

I never believed in stuff like fate myself, but the way Kashou put it… it certainly made a little bit of sense. It couldn't have been an accident that three people with similar Déjà-vu experiences met each other. I had always wondered if I was the only person with such obscure experiences, but meeting Kanade proved to me that I wasn't, and now Yuzuru reinforced that. Perhaps it really was fate that brought us together. But if that was the case, _why_? Why did the three of us have these special Déjà-vu moments and feelings? Why were we brought together like this? I had hoped getting to know Yuzuru would bring me answers, but instead the opposite happened.

"Well, whatever the case may be, don't let it bother you." Kashou pulled me out of my thoughts by patting me gently on the shoulder. "You shouldn't worry too much about it. You know what they say about fate? That ultimately, it's our choice. _We_ shape our own fates as we see fit." He smiled at me reassuringly. "Well, I think that's enough philosophical talk for today. Do you want to order something else or are you leaving?"

"Oh, I'll probably get going. Thanks for the drinks! And, I guess for the talk too." I said and got up from my chair.

"No worries. You're always welcome again! And your friend Yuzuru is too!" Kashou said and waved at me as I exited the cafe.

It had already gotten dark outside. I checked the time from my phone, only to realize I just missed my train. _I guess I'll walk home then._ I thought and started to make my way back to my apartment, my thoughts wandering in everything that had happened today.

* * *

 **AN: I hope you all enjoyed the first chapter of this story! I have the general plot for this more or less figured out, but I'll need to come up with some things for future chapters. And don't worry, everyone's favourite Kuudere will make an appearance in the next chapter, just you wait!**


	2. Chapter 2 - Resurfacing Memories

**AN: Greetings once again! I'm (finally) back to writing this story. I've been a little busy lately with the other stories I'm writing, as well as christmas, but now I'll make the most out of my remaining vacation to write as much as possible! I'm still slightly struggling with this story, however. I know what I want to do and where I want the story to go to, but I'm not sure how I want to do it. After some brief brainstorming, I came up with this chapter. I don't want to rush things too much, especially considering the "hidden/forgotten feelings" of the characters in question, but fear not, the budding romance will come soon!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – Resurfacing Memories**

I checked the time on my phone again as I stood in front of the University. The digital numbers told me that Yuri was late, by a whopping 10 minutes. _Wasn't she the one who insisted that we meet again today?_ I thought and sighed. We had met completely randomly yesterday, and almost instantly became good friends. We both felt like we had known each other for a long time, so talking about things – even somewhat personal matters – was easy and felt natural. I had completely lost track of time with her yesterday, and Hatsune was quite mad when I finally got home. She didn't pester me about where I had been, though. Although she was quite curious when I told her I had plans for today and couldn't go shopping with her. From what I had learned about Yuri yesterday (and what I felt like I already knew about her), she seemed to be the kind of person one couldn't say no to. I had an in-explainable feeling of dread when I initially thought about refusing to meet her, and I couldn't quite figure out why. Not that I didn't mind her company. Our conversation and banter was enjoyable, and the back-and-forth that we had could give anyone the impression that we were long-time friends, not two random strangers that bumped into each other one day. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her.

"Waiting for your girlfriend, Otonashi-kun?" A classmate of mine asked with a mischievous grin on his face as he nudged me with his elbow.

"I told you, she's not my girlfriend. We're just friends." I replied with a sigh.

"Really? So what about your date about yesterday, then, hmm? Kotegawa-san said she saw you with a pretty girl in La Soleil yesterday, didn't she? You two had fun, apparently."

"It was just an outing between friends. And what does Kotegawa-san have to do with this?"

"You really don't know? Well, she is kind of a _tsundere_ , so no wonder..." He trailed off and took on a thoughtful pose.

"What on earth are you talking about?" I raised my eyebrow at him. Did I hear him correctly? "Nevermind, don't answer. Look, I don't know what you think, but the two of us are just friends. It's normal for friends to hang out together."

"Yuzuru!" I heard a voice call out to me from behind.

I turned around and saw Yuri running towards me. The clothes she was wearing were very different from the ones she was wearing yesterday. Compared to the more casual clothes she had worn yesterday, today it looked like she had made sure to wear pretty clothes. It made her look more girly, compared to her usual attitude and "aura", which honestly made my heart skip a beat. She stopped a small distance away from me, breathing heavily.

"Sorry… that I was… late… Yuzuru." Yuri said to me between breaths.

"Don't worry about it, Yuri. It's not like there's any rush." I replied with a smile.

"Hmmm? On a first-name basis already? Are you sure you're not dating her? I'm kinda jealous of you, Otonashi-kun." My classmate said to me and nudged me with his elbow again.

" _And who the hell do you think you are?_ " Yuri said as she leaned to the side and glared at him, her voice dripping with malicious intent. Even I felt a shiver go down my spine! _Good thing I didn't refuse to meet up with her!_

"Nevermind! I'm not jealous! Have fun on your _date_ , you two!" He said quickly and ran the other way, before Yuri could hurt him with more than just words.

"Ugh, seriously. Guys like him are one of the reasons I don't really hang out with boys." Yuri said and sighed. "Ah, I don't obviously mean you, though. You're a… nice guy." She then continued after a little pause. _She looked so cute when she said that. Must be the clothes. Wait, stop thinking like that!_

"Yeah, Takiya-kun is kinda annoying sometimes. He can be fun to hang around with sometimes, but he does piss me off a lot." I said and rubbed the back of my neck. "So, uhhh… should we get going?"

"Oh, right, yeah we probably should. La Soleil again?"

"Sounds good to me."

With that, we started to make our way to the cafe again. I couldn't help but steal glances at Yuri every now and then. The clothes she was wearing definitely made her look pretty. I had convinced myself that we were just friends, but I couldn't help my mind wandering. _I know she's pretty, I've thought that way since we first met. But a relationship with her? I don't really know. I don't think I'd be good enough for her._ I sighed as I wallowed in my slightly negative thoughts. I certainly wouldn't mind being in a relationship with her, but I knew it wasn't possible. I wasn't that great of a guy, after all. All I really had going for myself was my hair, which was a slightly unusual colour, and I knew some people were attracted to that sort of thing.

"What's wrong?" Yuri suddenly asked. She must have noticed my sigh.

I looked directly at her and couldn't help but thinking how pretty she was, once again. I could feel a blush creeping onto my face and averted my gaze.

"Ah, nothing. I was just.. thinking about stuff. Yeah."

"Oh really now? And what kind of stuff? Don't answer, I can get an idea based on the blush on your face." Yuri replied with a grin.

"What? No! I wasn't thinking of anything indecent, I swear!"

"What made you think I was insinuating that? _Hentai_." Yuri giggled as she finished, which shortly turned into a loud laugh.

I found myself laughing a little as well. As usual, she was just messing with me. _As usual, huh? I guess it feels like that, despite only getting to know each other yesterday._ As we got closer to the cafe, I suddenly remembered something Yuri had told me yesterday.

"Oh, yeah. Your friend Kanade. You said she was… like us, what with the Déjà-vu and all that. Is she coming today?"

"Yes, she should be coming. I should probably inform her that we're at La Soleil." Yuri said and quickly took out her phone to message her friend. "She goes to University, like you, but she takes special courses and stuff, so her schedules are all different from yours. We try to hang out as much as possible, though."

"Huh, interesting that I haven't met her yet, then. Although if what you say is true, then we'd really only have a chance to meet at the cafeteria, and I don't really eat there any more."

"Why not? Kanade's always said the food is delicious."

"I'm sure it is, but… there's something about the cafeteria that triggers my Déjà-vu, so I've avoided it. I usually just eat a bento during lunch."

"Yeah, you mentioned something like that, about avoiding things that trigger it. Do you find it… unpleasant then?"

"No, it's not that the feeling itself is unpleasant. It's just that… well, I told you that my own heartbeat is one of the triggers, and it has caused some… incidents in the past where I've passed out from exhaustion and the Déjà-vu feeling. I don't know if every single one of the "triggers" can cause it, but just in case I avoid as many of them as I can." I explained as we arrived at the cafe.

"You're not avoiding me, though." Yuri said with a smirk and playfully nudged me with her elbow as we entered.

"Well, that's true, I guess. Though at first I did try to avoid you, but you grabbed hold of me before I could get away. And after our outing yesterday, I've felt that… well, I've felt that the Déjà-vu feeling is… _pleasant_ this time."

"Is that so? I'm… glad." Yuri said and smiled at me, and my heart skipped another beat. I swear this girl was doing this on purpose.

We walked over to the same table we had occupied yesterday. On the way, we walked past a table with a lone girl sitting by it. I only briefly glanced at her, but recognized her immediately. The uniform of the University I went to, made exactly according to the regulations, the long strands of jet-black hair and piercing, angry eyes could only belong to Kotegawa Yui. The very same girl who – according to Takiya-kun – Had seen Yuri and I in La Soleil yesterday. The very same girl who glares at me every single time our gazes meet in school. Just like now. She hated me, I was sure of it. I averted my gaze and did my best to ignore her. My plan seemingly worked, as Yuri and I sat down at our table shortly after the encounter. I could still feel her piercing glare drilling into me, however.

"Is everything alright, Yuzuru?" I could suddenly feel Kotegawa-san's icy glare increase in intensity at the mention of my first name. "You seem quite tense."

"Do I? Well, it's nothing you should worry about, Yuri." _Big mistake mentioning her first name!_ I thought as the glare directed at me once again became stronger. "As I said, just thinking about stuff."

"Oh? I suddenly have the urge to get as far away from you as possible, Yuzuru. Are you thinking of something indecent again?" Yuri said and giggled.

"You just love messing with me, don't you?" I said and sighed. "Let's just order something, alright?"

" _Haaaaaai_." Yuri paused and giggled again. "Yo, Kashou-san! We need some drinks over here!" She then shouted and waved at the man currently wiping a table behind us. I made the mistake of turning around, only to meet Kotegawa's glare. Interestingly, she was the first to avert her gaze, though.

"Ah, Nakamura-san! I thought I saw you entering. And this is your friend, yes?" The man said as he walked over to us, placing the rag he was using to wipe the table into the pocket on his apron.

"Otonashi Yuzuru. Nice to meet you!" I politely introduced myself, as the man seemed to be an acquaintance of Yuri's.

"Otonashi-san, huh? Nice to meet you, too. I'm the owner of La Soleil. You can call me whatever you want, but I prefer Kashou, it's what most people call me." He replied with a beaming smile and took out a small clipboard and pen. "So, what will you two have?"

"Hmmm… I went for _Neko Coffee_ yesterday, so I think today I'll have a _Maple Tea_ , please." Yuri said without even looking at the menu. "Oh, and I feel like eating something sweet, so I'd like a strawberry parfait to go with it."

"Hot and cold, eh? Roger that. How about you, Otonashi-san?" Kashou turned to me as he wrote down Yuri's order.

"I'm not quite sure, so I think I'll go for a plain coffee, just like yesterday." I replied as I hastily scanned the menu.

"Got it! I won't keep you two any longer." Kashou said and winked. "Your orders will be brought to you shortly." He then continued with a smile and turned away.

As he left, I turned back to look at Yuri. She had fetched her phone out of her pocket and was checking something on it. I let my gaze wander around her, as I once again took in how pretty she was. The white and light-blue dress shirt that she wore complimented her hair, and she wore a matching light-blue headband. A green ribbon was found both in her hair and on her chest, matching the colour of her eyes. For a few moments I was lost in those eyes of hers, before she placed her phone back into her pocket and looked back at me inquisitively.

"Hm? Is something wrong?" Yuri asked and brought a hand to inspect the ribbon on her hair.

"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just that..." I scratched my cheek nervously as I averted my gaze from her and noticed Kashou out of the corner of my eye, taking the order of another customer. "That Kashou fellow. Is he a friend of yours?"

"Kashou-san? Well, I wouldn't call us friends. Sure, we know each other and stuff, as I do come here every now and then, but… not really. He acts like that towards all of his customers. I never thought anything of it. I guess he's a nice guy, though. Apart from you, he's the only guy I can have a reasonable conversation with." Yuri explained and chuckled. "Why? Are you jealous that I'm friendly with another guy?" She continued and a smirk made its way onto her face.

I could feel another icy glare directed at the back of my head. A chill went down my spine as I replied.

"N-nothing like that. You two just seemed like you were friends, so I was curious." I smiled, which turned into a smirk of my own as I thought of a way to get back at her. "What, you hoping that I _would_ be jealous for you?"

"Hah! Now that's a nice comeback!" Yuri slapped her hand onto the table and let out a loud laugh. I started laughing together with her, which made me completely forget about the growing concentration of fury behind me.

After we had managed to stifle our laughing, one of the two waitresses came over and handed us our orders. In addition to my coffee, a single chocolate chip cookie was present. The waitress told us that Kashou had included it with my coffee, "On the house for a new customer", apparently.

"Oh, yeah, Kanade should be on her way, soon. She texted me a minute ago saying that her classes just ended." Yuri said as I took a sip of my coffee.

"That's great. I'm looking forward to seeing her, if she really is like us."

"I'm most interested in both of your reactions. You froze in place when you first saw me, didn't you?"

"Well, I guess I did. It was so… sudden though. To see you like that, and instantly feel that type of familiarity. But, you were almost like in a trance yourself, so I don't think you can say much yourself."

" _Touche_." Yuri giggled and took a sip of her tea. "I'll warn you though, Kanade is… unique, let's just say that."

"What do you mean by that?"

"Well, after our initial meeting, it took me the better part of a week to get through the shell she had, and even after that she felt cold, even emotionless. It took a long time before I could get her to laugh with me, and I still don't think I know quite everything about her. She's a bit… aloof, I guess? Wait, scratch that, she's _plenty_ aloof." She explained and took a larger sip of her tea.

"She sounds like a real handful." I said and snickered, before taking a bite out of my cookie. "I'm surprised you two became friends. You're pretty much polar opposites."

"Yeah, I've wondered that too, sometimes. I think ultimately it was our shared experiences that pulled us together. But, I think over time I have gotten Kanade to change a little. She's… more expressive than when we first met, at least." Yuri smiled and took another sip of her tea.

"Glad to hear that." I said and returned the smile. "Are going to eat that, by the way?" I asked and gestured towards her parfait. "It's gonna get cold soon, you know. If you don't want it, then I'd be more than happy to… indulge myself." I continued and smirked as I reached a hand towards the parfait.

"You dare touch this and I'll make sure you won't _indulge_ in anything ever again." Yuri said with a mock venomous tone. "Although, if waiting makes it colder, then I might just continue talking with you for a while. It's not like you don't enjoy it." She then continued with a smirk.

" _Touche_." I said to her and laughed, pulling my hand away from her. Yuri laughed at my use of the same phrase she had said just a bit earlier.

"Ah, I really am glad I met you, Yuzuru. And I don't just mean that because both of us are weirdos with a special Déjà-vu." Yuri said to me and smiled. "You're really fun to hang out with, probably on par with Kanade, if not more fun that hanging out with her." She continued and then took a spoonful of parfait into her mouth.

"I'm… glad to hear that, I guess. Though I'm not sure you should day that about someone that you've only known for a day. But… I feel the same way. I don't hang out with my friends much, other than going to the arcade or something every now and then, but with you, I feel like I could spend every day like this, just talking with you, like it's the most natural thing in the world." I felt slightly embarrassed about what I had said, but It felt _right_ to tell her about my thoughts.

"I-is that so." Yuri said and hid her face behind the parfait. I could see her cheeks were slightly red, and I could feel the heat rising into my own as well.

With that, I felt a chill go down my spine, and a feeling of imminent danger swept over me. I heard the distinct sound of footsteps coming from behind as someone walked closer to us. With each step, the feeling became stronger. I swallowed and braced myself as I slowly turned around.

"Otonashi-kun." A cold, venomous voice called out to me.

Before I had managed to turn fully, the culprit reasonable for triggering my "fight or run" instincts stood in front of me. Kotegawa Yui was standing directly in front of me, her imposing face looking down on me, due to the fact that I was sitting down. Her fierce eyes drilled into my very soul as I swallowed again.

"K-Kotegawa-san. N-nice to see you here." I managed to say with an awkward smile. _What does she want with me? Don't tell me she's finally found a reason to end my life? I'm sorry for whatever I've done that has caused you to hate me!_

"Hm? Who's this girl then? One of your friends, Yuzuru?" Yuri asked, completely oblivious to the situation. I don't blame her, she hasn't seen the way Kotegawa glares at me all day long.

" _Yuzuru_? Aren't you awfully familiar with him..." Kotegawa muttered and averted her gaze, ignoring Yuri to the best of her ability. "Otonashi-kun." She said and looked at me directly in the eyes again. "Do I need to remind you of the regulations at our University? I believe I do not. I've done so enough already, you should remember them by heart."

I quickly clapped my hands together, closed my eyes and bowed at her.

"Whatever I've done, I'm sorry, Kotegawa-san!" I said to her quickly, hoping that I could calm her anger somewhat. I truly had no idea what I had done to upset her, as usual when she scolded me for whatever reason. At first I had tried to shrug it off, but I soon realized how malicious her words could be.

"Hey, what's Yuzuru done now? I don't go to Uni, but to my knowledge, hanging out with friends isn't prohibited." Yuri interjected and pointed her spoon at Kotegawa. "Who are you, anyway? You obviously know Yuzuru, so you two must be close."

" _C-c-close_?" Kotegawa suddenly panicked. "Y-you're the o-one who's _close_ , calling him by his f-first name and everything! A-anyway, the name's Kotegawa Yui. I'm Otonashi-kun's classmate. And not like I care, but I'll warn you – You shouldn't hang out with him. I need to remind him of the regulations almost daily, and for good reason!" She shot another glare in my direction, her cheeks red from anger.

"Well, he is quite a ruffian, I'll give you that, but you haven't answered my question. What reason do you have to start telling him off like this?" Yuri asked and placed another spoonful of parfait into her mouth.

Kotegawa flinched slightly, then looked away for a moment, before returning to glare at me.

"W-well, it's not like there's any reason to tell him off. I-I j-just..." Kotegawa trailed off and paused for a moment before continuing. "I-I know he's d-done _something_ that warrants a lecture. I-in any case, you shouldn't hang out with him. I'll be keeping an eye on you, Otonashi-kun." She finished by pointing a finger at me before turning around to leave.

"What was she on about?" Yuri asked, raising an eyebrow as Kotegawa left us.

"Honestly, I don't really know. I always seem to be at odds with Kotegawa-san. I first met her back when I started my economics studies a year ago. I tried to get along with her at first, but there was one… accident that I don't want to go into detail about. After that, she's been fixated on lecturing and telling me off nearly every single day. You should see her in class, all she does is glare at me all the time! I'm more afraid of her than you." I explained and sighed as I took a sip of my coffee to calm myself.

"Really now? And you think that's all there is to it? That she just hates you?" Yuri asked with a mischievous look on her face as she took a sip of her tea. "Also, what was that about being afraid of me?"

"Oh, I just… for some reason I get the feeling that I should be afraid of you, like, what would happen to me if I opposed you, or something." I said and rubbed the back of my neck. "But, anyway. No, I haven't ever thought that there would be anything else to it. At first I thought there must be some reason for why she acted like that towards me, but at one point I just accepted that she hated me for… whatever reason. Why do you ask?"

"Hmmmmm…. No reason, just wanted to know. What was the accident you mentioned? Could it be the reason for her current behaviour towards you?"

"I… would rather not talk about it. But… maybe. It has always been at the back of my head as the root of the cause. Though I would've hoped that she would have gotten over it by now..."

"I see. So it was something… _indecent_ , then?" Yuri asked with a smirk and continued to chow down her parfait. "Don't worry, I'm just messing with you. But I wouldn't worry about if I were you." She continued and winked at me.

"What… do you mean by that?"

" _Teehee_ , I wonder what I mean?" Yuri said and winked again. "Let's just call it… _woman's intuition_!" She continued after taking a sip of her tea, giggling afterwards.

I decided not to press the issue further. I had no idea what Yuri was going on about, but I did hope I could take what she said to heart. I had always wanted to mend my relationship with Kotegawa. She could be kinda cute – when she wasn't showing me her death stare.

"Otonashi Yuzuru-kun?" A stern, slightly cold voice called out my name.

"Yes?" I turned to look at the source of the voice.

Directly in front of me was a short girl with silvery-white hair. Her doll-like, porcelain face was looking at me with a slightly curious expression. My eyes met her auric orbs. She was wearing the same uniform as I, telling me she went to the same University. Despite this, I had never seen this girl before, and yet, like when I had met Yuri, I was overwhelmed with a massive sensation of familiarity. As I saw her, my heart started to beat extremely fast, for whatever reason. This effect only strengthened the Déjà-vu feeling I had. The girl felt extremely familiar to me, just like Yuri did, but there was something… different in the feeling. Yuri had felt like an old friend, but this girl… I couldn't quite describe the feeling I had.

"Ah! Kanade, you came!" Yuri practically leaped from where she was sitting to embrace the newly-arrived girl.

"Of course. I would have no reason to refuse your invitation, after all." Kanade replied in a monotone voice, seemingly unaffected by the Déjà-vu.

"Oh, I should probably introduce you two, although judging by Yuzuru's reaction, he probably already recognized you." Yuri said and giggled.

"So, he's like us? With the 'Déjà-vu'?" Kanade asked, slightly raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, he is. But, yeah, Otonashi Yuzuru is his name. He goes to the same University as you do. And this here is Tachibana Kanade, the friend I've mentioned to you many times." Yuri gestured to the girl stood in front of me.

"Nice to meet you, Otonashi-san." Kanade said and bowed briefly.

I blinked a couple of times before responding. _Why did she cause my heartbeat t_ _o_ _rise so suddenly? And the feeling I got from seeing her, it was different from Yuri. But why?_

"N-nice to meet you, T… T..." Her name got stuck in my throat as I tried to say it. Suddenly, my vision got slightly hazy, and I swear for a moment that I could see a magnificent pair of angel wings on her back. "T… _Tenshi_." I finally managed to say.

" _Tenshi_?" Yuri asked, looking dumbfounded. "What are you calling her an angel for?"

"I… I don't know why I said that. I Just… suddenly I got the feeling I should call her that." I decided to not mention the angel wings I saw. Maybe I was going crazy, after all.

" _Tenshi_..." Kanade said, and her eyes widened suddenly. "You… called me Tenshi..." She lifted her right arm and looked at her wrist, gently caressing it with her other hand.

Yuri suddenly brought a hand to her chest as her eyes widened as well, her gaze fixated on Kanade's wrist. As I looked at her wrist as well, I suddenly felt a sharp pain in my chest, causing me to clutch it lightly, before the pain was gone in an instant.

"I… I'm getting the feeling… that I should call her that as well." Yuri spoke, breaking the silence. "It's… weird. And your… wrist… These feelings..." She then raised her gaze to meet Kanade's. "And… on your back… almost like… _wings_."

"You… saw them too?" I hesitantly asked, to which Yuri replied with a nod. "What on earth… does this mean?" I looked at Kanade's wrist again, but the pain in my chest didn't return.

"Ah, Tachibana-san! Welcome! Would like something to drink, or perhaps you're feeling a little peckish?" Came the voice of Kashou from behind Kanade.

"Yes, I would like a _Neko Coffee_ , please." Kanade said and moved to sit down on the chair next to Yuri's, on the opposite side of the table from me.

"Certainly!" Kashou said and wrote down her order, then looked at us. "Is… something wrong? You two look like… I don't even know how I'd describe it."

"Ah, no, we're fine. Nothing to worry about." I said and waved my hands as I sat back down.

"Ah, yeah. Nothing you need to worry about, Kashou." Yuri said and mimicked my movements.

"Alright, whatever you two say." Kashou said with a grin, then he leaned towards Yuri and whispered something in her ear, causing a bright blush to appear on her face.

"K-Kashou!" She blurted out and covered her face. Kashou simply grinned as he stifled his laughter, before coming up to me and leaning towards my ear.

" _Yuri's a good girl, take good care of her_." Kashou whispered to me and winked, before leaving the three of us alone.

I could a feel a slight blush on my cheeks as well, and I could understand Yuri's blush as well, if what Kashou said to him was anything like what he had said to me. The atmosphere had suddenly became very awkward. Kanade was looking at both me and Yuri, her gaze alternating between the two of us.

"Are you two in a romantic relationship?" Kanade suddenly bluntly asked, without any hesitation or shame.

"W-WHAT?!" Both Yuri and I shouted at the same time, slamming our hands onto the table.

"Uhhh… I mean, N-no, we're not." Yuri sat back down on her chair and slightly concealed her face with her hands again.

"Uhhh… Yeah, we're not. We just met yesterday." I said and rubbed the back of my neck. _Why would she ask something like that out of the blue?!_

"Oh, I see. I don't really know about this stuff myself, but from what I've read from various works of literature, as well as overheard from other people, I deduced that your reactions could be explained if that was the case. I guess I must have been wrong." Kanade explained, and I could see what Yuri meant when she said that this girl was aloof and emotionless.

"O-oh, right. That… explains it. But, yeah, we're not in a… romantic relationship, as you put it." I replied and scratched my cheek awkwardly. "A-anyway, Ten… Tachibana-san. Yuri has told me about you, namely that you were… like us, in a way, and I'm… curious about your experiences." I diverted the conversation into another direction. No need to stay in that awkward atmosphere any longer.

"Experiences? Oh, you mean the 'Déjà-vu'? Well, I've had them since I was old enough to be aware of them, though I didn't know what the phenomenon was called until I was eight years old. I quickly figured out that specific things caused them, but couldn't find a reason for any of them. Until I met Yuri, all of these 'triggers' were inanimate objects, or otherwise things that were… not human. Due to this, I tried to avoid Yuri at first, but she was insistent on pestering me, so we became friends. After spending time with her, the feeling eventually disappeared." Kanade explained while putting on a thoughtful face. She looked quite cute when doing that, and I found myself oddly drawn to her. Almost like there was a… _connection_ between us. I quickly shook that thought away, however.

"You know, you're quite… blunt with your speech. Not to be rude towards you or anything."

"Blunt? I suppose so. I do hear that being said about me a lot. But don't worry, your words haven't insulted me. You would have to say a lot more than that."

"Well, I did tell you what she was like, Yuzuru." Yuri cut in as she finished her parfait. "But, anyway, her story sounds similar to yours, doesn't it? And I'm pretty much the same. I've experienced this 'special' Déjà-vu ever since I was little. But… don't you two think that it's a bit… odd that the three of us have this… I don't even know what to call it. And why do we feel so familiar with each other?"

"Hmmm… I have wondered about it a little. You know, some say that the regular Déjà-vu might be a result of us 'remembering' memories from a past life, do you… do you think that might the case? Maybe we knew each other in a past life, and for some reason, those memories persist even now." All I got as an answer was an indifferent look from Kanade, while Yuri looked like she was trying to process what I had just said.

"A past life..." Kanade said and brought a hand to her chest. "You know… I've… thought of that before. Sometimes… I've gotten this weird feeling accompanied by the Déjà-vu, like… my heart… wasn't… there." She clutched her chest tightly and paused for a moment, her expression staying unchanged. "When I saw you, Otonashi-san, I felt like that for a brief moment, before the rate at which my heart beats increased exponentially."

"That sounds… interesting. For me, my own heartbeat is one of the things that trigger the Déjà-vu, so I avoid any heavy exercise. When I saw you, I… got the feeling I should call you Tenshi. I don't know why, and I even briefly saw a pair of wings on your back, akin to a real angel's."

"Yeah, I saw those too when you called her that. Then there was… her wrist. When I looked at it, I felt… afraid, slightly, if that makes sense. Like there was… supposed to be something there, or something." Yuri tried to explain, fiddling with something underneath the table.

After that, the girls seemed to be absorbed in our thoughts, and I was no different. As soon as I had seen Kanade, something in me had clicked. Even when we were just sitting quietly like this, images were flashing through my head. Images, that included familiar faces, more than just Yuri or Kanade. Faces, that I didn't know, but I knew were friends of mine. The images were brief and blurry, but I knew they were memories. Memories, that I had forgotten, or perhaps ones that I never had before this. As the silent and awkward atmosphere returned, Kashou brought Kanade her drink. Before we could resume the conversation, I suddenly felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. I jumped slightly as I was pulled out of my thoughts. I quickly picked up the call without even looking at the caller ID.

"Hello?"

"Onii-chan!" The voice of my little sister came from the phone.

"Oh, Hatsune. What's up?" I leaned back in my chair, relaxing a bit while Kanade was looking at me with a curious expression.

"I know you said you had plans for today, but they can't be more important than your little sister~" Hatsune almost sang on the other side of the line.

"Get to the point, what do you need from me." I said with a sigh, faking my disappointment.

"Geez, you're so boring, Onii-chan." Hatsune replied to my fake disappointment with some of her own. "Turns out, my shopping bags are just a tad bit too heavy for poor old me. Your sister would really appreciate it if her Onii-chan would help her out." And the cat was out of the bag.

I looked over to the other side of the table. Kanade's gaze was still firmly fixated on me, while Yuri was still fiddling around with something under the table. I briefly lowered the phone from my ear and covered with my hand.

"Seems like my little sister has gotten herself into a bit of a pickle with her incessant shopping. I think It's necessary for me to go and help her." I explained to the girls.

"I do not mind. Family is important, you should help your little sister." Kanade said, her expression remaining unchanged.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, that's fine. If your sister needs help, it's your duty as an older brother to help." Yuri snapped out of her thoughts and answered with a smile.

I nodded to both of them before raising my phone back up to my ear.

"Alright, I'll get going then. Where exactly are you?" I said and drank the rest of my coffee as I got up.

"See you another time, Yuzuru! It was nice talking with you!" Yuri said and waved at me as I gathered my things and got ready to leave.

"Yeah, see you!" I replied while Hatsune was telling me about what she had done today. _I only asked where you were, geez. Oh well, I can't stay mad at Hatsune._

I looked back and waved at the two girls as I exited La Soleil. My first encounter with Kanade was now behind me, but I couldn't shake the thoughts and images from my mind that seeing her had caused to appear.

* * *

I sighed to myself as I watched Yuzuru leave the cafe. To be completely honest with myself, I was disappointed that he had to leave. I enjoyed his company so much, and I was looking forward to having him becoming friends with Kanade, too. And one cannot ignore that fact that having him meet her like this definitely helped us gain some clues relating to our… "uniqueness". I don't know about the other two, but I kept seeing hazy images of people and events in my head. They felt like long-lost memories suddenly reappearing. If they truly were memories, though, that only lead to more questions. What were these memories? Why did I suddenly remember them? What do they mean? I stared into my cup, now devoid of any tea as I thought over everything that had just happened. One memory in particular stuck to my mind. I couldn't focus on it fully, but I felt like I was… falling. Or, almost falling, rather. Hanging onto… something like my life depended on it. And Yuzuru was there, right in front of me, only mere centimetres away from my face. I could feel a blush appear on my cheeks as I thought of it. _Why do I suddenly have a memory like that? When did that happen? Why did that happen. What happened before, and what happened next?_

"Yuri." Kanade's voice pulled me out of my thoughts. She sounded as emotionless as usual.

"Huh? What is it?"

"Are you perhaps in love with that boy? With Otonashi Yuzuru-kun?" Kanade asked, blunt as ever.

I felt the blush on my cheeks becoming hotter and more visible by the millisecond. Her words hit me straight in the face like a truck. _This girl! Why is she like this!_

"W-w-what d-do you mean? H-how d-did you come to t-that conclusion?" I struggled not to stutter as I frantically waved my hands in front of me.

"Am I wrong? Sorry, as I mentioned earlier, I don't really have first-hand experience with stuff like this, but… you've changed, I guess." Kanade explained to me.

"Changed? What… do you mean by that?" I lowered my hands and raised an eyebrow at her statement.

"Yes. I noticed it during the brief time he was here. And, I also apologize, but I did notice how the two of you acted before I arrived here. That is why I asked my initial question about the relationship between you two." Kanade explained, once again being blunt and honest with her statements. Sometimes I envied how honest she could be, even if she was aloof.

"Oh… I… didn't realize that myself. Was it… really that noticeable?"

"For someone who has spent so much time observing you, yes, yes it was. You're more… energetic around him, and then there's your body language. I've read about it a little, but your body language also changes – often without the individual themselves noticing – when you're with the person you have romantic feelings towards. I must say, it was… fascinating to look at you like this."

I wasn't even listening to Kanade anymore. _Was it that obvious? That I… am in love with Yuzuru?_ _I hadn't even noticed it myself, but now that Kanade had mentioned it…_ _He is quite handsome, and friendly too. I like talking with him, and hanging out with him has been fun, even if we only really got to know each other yesterday. I thought it was just because he was like me, and we had shared experiences, but…_ I looked down and brought a hand to the ribbon in my hair. _I… I even put on some pretty clothes today. I was so worried about what I wanted to put on that I was late to our meeting. Was that really the reason for it?_ _I… I don't believe it. Did I really fall for the first boy that I became friends with?_

 _Did I really… fall in love with Yuzuru?_

* * *

 **AN: And finally we are done. This chapter became a little longer than I had planned, but take it as an apology of sorts for not updating this story sooner. With two other stories that I'm currently writing, as well as christmas, I didn't have the time to write this. I'll try to get the third chapter up sooner!**

 **Oh yeah, and I guess I'll tell you guys now, but there will be plenty of references in this story to other Anime(and Visual Novels!) that I enjoy. Namely, there are two characters and one location that are references! If anyone gets the references I make, do be sure to say so, if you want to review the story!**

 **Also, Happy New Year 2019 to everyone!**


	3. Chapter 3 - A Fateful Encounter

**AN: Hello once again, dear readers! Not really anything to write about here, so I guess just enjoy the chapter? I finally get to introduce Hatsune to the story, yay!**

* * *

 **Chapter 3 – A Fateful Encounter**

"Onii-chan, look at this!" my little sister called out to me.

"What is it now?" I walked over to where she was.

Hatsune was glued to the window of a jewellery store. She was pointing at a particular necklace that was on display. The necklace was made of silver, and had what looked like a pearl embedded into it. Angel wings, also made out of silver, could be seen coming from the backside of the necklace. Overall, the necklace was very pretty, though the wings did trigger my Déjà-vu slightly. This time, however, the feeling was accompanied by images, or more specifically, memories. Memories, where I could see Kanade with wings as magnificent as on the necklace. It had been a few days since our first encounter, but the images hadn't disappeared from my mind. I had managed to ignore them, but every now and then, they returned, assaulting my mind, making it very hard not to focus on them. Despite this, the memories remained… hazy. I couldn't make out small details, and the only faces I could see clearly and recognise were Yuri's and Kanade's. I shook my head to clear my mind and sighed.

"You know what this kind of imagery does to me. If you're wanting to buy that, forget it. I probably couldn't even afford it." As I said that, Hatsune pouted at me, but changed into a smile soon after.

"I know, I know. My crazy onii-chan remembers things that he shouldn't. But I like you the way you are, onii-chan. You wouldn't be you without your delusions, after all." Hatsune said as her smile turned into a smirk.

"Perhaps I should reconsider tagging along with you. It's not too late for me to go home just yet." I pulled out my phone to look at the time, but in truth, I had no intentions to leave. I liked spending time with my little sister, and it's not like I had anything to do at home anyway.

"You're a bad liar, onii-chan." Hatsune said and latched onto my arm. "I know you can't leave your cute little sister all alone. If you didn't want to come shopping with me, you would've refused outright. Although I'm not sure you could even refuse your cute little sister."

"You said you wanted me to come with you because I didn't come with you when you went shopping on Thursday. By the way, you never told me why you even wanted to go shopping today. What you got last time should last us a while, the fridge is already packed." Hatsune started to drag me away from the jewellery store.

"As you just said, it's to make up for the fact that you didn't hang out with me." Hatsune let go of my arm stopped in front of me. "You know, onii-chan, I'm glad you've finally found some friends to hang out with." She said as she turned around to face me.

"What do you mean? I've always had friends." I raised an eyebrow at her question. _What is she on about?_

"Oh, I mean _female_ friends, onii-chan! I'm glad you're finally taking that first step towards _adulthood_! I will admit, I'll probably miss you a whole bunch, but as long as your girlfriend lets me visit every second Sunday, I'll..." I put a hand on Hatsune's mouth to stop her.

"Stop, right now. First of all, how do you know my new friends are girls? Secondly, even if they were, our relationship isn't like that. And third, why are you making it sound like child custody?"

"Of course they are girls! Ever since you met up with your new "friend" last Wednesday, you've been spacing out a lot more! It _has_ to be a girl!" Hatsune grabbed my shoulders, then turned away slightly. "That, and I looked through your contact list yesterday, plus I heard their voices when I called you on Thursday." She mumbled, before turning to look at me again. "And it _is_ like child custody! _I'm_ the one taking care of you, onii-chan. You couldn't even cook without me! So it is like I'm giving you away to another girl! Unless… Wait, don't tell me you're planning on having her move in with _us_?" Hatsune had a shocked look on her face, though I felt that it was slightly faked.

"Stop jumping to conclusions." I paused and sighed. "Yes, they are girls, but our relationship is not like that. Also, what did you say about my contacts just then?" _Did I hear her correctly?_

" _Teehee~_ Let's not stick to the little details. So, are they cute? You'll have to introduce me to them at some point! How did you even meet in the first place?"

"One question at a time, please. We met… well, we met kinda randomly, but… It's easier if I just say that they're… like me. And that's why we're friends now, I guess." I rubbed the back of my neck as Hatsune dragged me along to some other part of the shopping centre.

"Like you? What do you mean? Do they study economics as well?"

"No, I mean that we have… similar experiences. With the whole Déjà-vu thing."

"Ah, so they're as crazy as you, then? No wonder you became friends so quickly."

"Well, I guess that's a way to put it. But, yeah, that's essentially it. We felt like we already… knew each other, or something, so we decided to just start hanging out. But if I'm honest with you..." I paused as I thought for a moment. I didn't want to give her the wrong idea and tell her that I really enjoyed spending time with them, Yuri especially. "I… like hanging out with them. It might just be because we feel like we've been friends for the longest time, but spending time with them is fun, and feels natural." I explained to my sister, oblivious to where she had just dragged me to.

"Well, that's great! You've finally found some like-minded individuals to hang out with. Maybe soon one of them will be _more_ than just _friends_ with you." Hatsune nudged me with her elbow as she picked up something from a rack. "Just make sure that you spend some time with your cute little sister, too! How does this look?" I only realised where Hatsune had taken me when she raised a pink and frilly bra up to her chest.

"Hm? Oh it looks… WAIT A MOMENT WHERE ARE WE?!" I looked around for the first time and saw nothing but underwear all around me. I looked back at Hatsune who had an innocent look on her face. "...You are way too cunning, Hatsune." I facepalmed and sighed. I was always against going underwear shopping with her, for obvious reasons, but now that she had managed to get me inside the store already, it was too late to back away.

"No running away now, onii-chan! Your little sister needs your honest opinion! Now that I've finally gotten you to come with to one of these, I'll have to try on lots of things~!" Hatsune sounded extremely happy as she rifled through the assorted bras found on the nearest rack.

"You do know that this is very awkward for me, so hurry it up, will you. I'll end up getting weird stares from the other customers at this rate. Also, why do you even need my opinion on _your_ underwear again?" I briefly glanced around the store, and luckily for me, there weren't that many customers around. Still, I couldn't help but feel very out of place.

"I'm going to go try these on, okay? Wait outside the fitting room, onii-chan." Hatsune said as she dragged me over to the fitting room before entering. "And no peeking~!" She said and giggled as she closed the curtain.

With that, I was left to stand outside the fitting room while my sister tried on various kinds of underwear just behind me. I kept my gaze on the floor, as I didn't want to seem like a creep or a pervert by looking around. As I contemplated my existence and the reasons as for why I was currently inside a lingerie store with my little sister, a familiar voice caused me to jump slightly.

"Yuzuru..? What are you..?" I slowly raised my gaze to meet the green eyes of Yuri, standing just a couple metres away from me, currently holding a red bra in her hands. Her clothes were once again much more casual, just like on our first meeting.

"Y-Yuri. Uh, hey. W-what a coincidence." I awkwardly said to her. I did not expect to run into her like this. _This must look veeeeeery suspicious._

"Uh, yeah, hi." Yuri placed the bra she had been holding back onto the rack. Her face was flushed, she must have found the situation awkward and embarrassing as well. "Are you here… with… someone?" She took a couple of steps towards me.

"Just my little sister. She managed to trick me into coming here with her. Believe me, I wouldn't even come near this place otherwise." I said and motioned towards the fitting room behind me.

"Just your sister? _I'm glad..._ " Yuri trailed off and let out what sounded like a sigh of relief, though I didn't quite hear what she had said near the end. "But, what, you not excited by an underwear store? I'm sure you've stolen glances at this place every time you've gone by~" Yuri then continued and giggled.

"Do you take me for some sort of eccentric pervert? I find it awkward enough to be near this place, let alone standing inside it. By the way, that red bra looked good, you should try it on." I said and grinned. _Fight fire with fire, as they say._

Yuri's face became as red as the bra she had previously looked at, and she averted her gaze.

"Geez, you don't play fair, do you?" Yuri pouted for a bit, then came over to me. "You're going to give me all sorts of weird ideas if you say stuff like that." She gently nudged me with her elbow, then giggled afterwards.

"What? It did genuinely look good. It might be because of my hair colour, but I've always liked red as a colour."

"Really now?" Yuri tried to sound and act smug, but I could see her cheeks were a little flushed. _If you keep blushing like that,_ you're _going to be the one giving_ me _weird ideas!_ "Well, maybe I'll buy it then, just for you. _Hentai_." She poked me on the cheek and laughed. I started to laugh with her. _It really is easy to do this with her, huh?_

"Onii-chan!" Suddenly, the curtain behind me was thrown aside, and my little sister stepped out of it, clad in the pink and frilly underwear that she had looked at first. "Well? How do I look, onii-chan? Does it make your..." Hatsune stopped as she noticed Yuri standing next to me, her appearance causing both of our laughing fits to come to an end. "I'll just go back into the fitting room, okay? I'm sure you two would like some alone time..." She started to close the curtain again.

"Ah, wait! I'll introduce you two!" I swiftly grabbed my sister's hand. "You wanted me to introduce my new friends to you, didn't you?"

"You must be Hatsune-chan. Yuzuru has told me quite a bit about you." Yuri took the initiative by moving to my right. "My name is Nakamura Yuri, nice to meet you!" She bowed slightly and gave Hatsune a bright smile. _Damn, her smile is so pretty._

"Nice to meet you, I'm Otonashi Hatsune." My sister said and bowed back, much lower than Yuri had done. "I hope my onii-chan hasn't caused you much trouble!"

"Not at all, Yuzuru's been real nice." Yuri glanced at me and showed me the same smile she had shown Hatsune. _Okay, she seriously looks so pretty, even with her casual clothes on._ "I'm not sure how much he's told you, but because of our… _shared experiences_ , we just kinda.. clicked, I guess. Even after knowing each other for such a short time, we're already great friends." Yuri explained to Hatsune.

"Yeah, onii-chan told me something about his new friends being as crazy as he is. Seeing as you two are already on a first-name basis, is it okay if I call you Yuri? Or would you prefer… _onee-chan_?" Hatsune had a devious smile on her face as she finished.

"H-HATSUNE!" Both Yuri and I shouted in unison. Upon noticing this, we both looked at each other, before averting our gazes quickly.

"Hmmm? What's with this reaction then..? _Tehee~!_ Anyway, Yuri, you're going to help me pick out some things, okay?" Hatsune grabbed Yuri by her hand and pleaded her with her eyes.

"Eh? O-okay then. I was going to try out some stuff myself, so I guess it's fine."

"Don't let her get to you, okay? Hatsune is very cunning, she might pull you into some scheme if you're not careful." I whispered into Yuri's ear, though I didn't try to hide what I had said from my little sister at all. "Well, while you two have some... girl time, I'll be waiting outsi..."

"Stop right there, onii-chan." Hatsune cut me off and now I was the one being grabbed by her. "You are going to stay right there and give us both your honest opinions about the underwear we try on! And you don't get to say no! Great, glad you agree, onii-chan!" She continued and dragged Yuri into the fitting room with her.

I sighed and crossed my arms as I leaned on the wall next to the fitting room. _I can't believe Hatsune managed to drag Yuri into this… I wasn't even expecting to meet her here in the first place. Wait, don't say that I'll_ actually _have to give my opinions on the underwear Yuri is going to wear..._ I could feel a blush rising to my cheeks. _I'm sure It'll be fine, Yuri wouldn't let something like that happen, right?_

 _Right?_

* * *

"Y-you w-want me to do w-what?!" I whispered to Hatsune, albeit quite loudly.

"Just like I said, I want you to try out underwear that you like, and then onii-chan will give you his opinion on it! Simple, right?" The girl in front of me said with a grin. _How can you say something like that with a straight face?_

"I-I c-couldn't do something like t-that in front of Y-Yuzuru..." I replied and looked away. My gaze met my own in the mirror, and I could see that my cheeks were redder than the hair of the girl currently with me in the tight space that was the fitting room.

"Oh? Embarrassed, are you?" Hatsune moved closer and poked my cheek. "Could it be… you _actually_ like my onii-chan?"

Suddenly, the cheeks on my reflection became even redder.

"W-w-what?! N-n-no, o-of c-course n-not!" I pushed Hatsune away from me and turned my gaze the other way, this time looking at the curtain. _He's behind that curtain right now… Wait, can he hear us?!_

"I thought so~ _Teehee!_ " Hatsune moved closer to me again to whisper in my ear. " _Don't worry, he can't hear us. And you don't have to deny it from me, a little sister notices these things~! You seem like you'd be fun to have as an onee-chan, so I'm rooting for you!_ " She smiled at me, before pushing me towards the curtain. "Now, while I change into this other one, go get something you want to try out!"

"H-huh? H-hey, w-wait-" Hatsune pushed me until I was outside the fitting room, and I nearly stumbled into Yuzuru.

"Y-Yuri." He said as I almost fell on top of him, but I managed to keep my balance.

"Ah, Yuzuru. S-sorry, your sister pushed me out." I couldn't keep looking at him, not after what Hatsune had said to me.

"N-no worries. Did you leave your bag in there?"

"Yeah, I did." I glanced over at the rack to my left. "I, uhh… Your… um… little sister asked me to… t-try some things on… so..." I fidgeted as I took quick glances at Yuzuru. _This is so embarrassing! Oh, why did I have to run into him like this!_

"O-oh, right. T-that's fine. I… I won't look, i-if you don't want to show me." He said and rubbed the back of his neck.

"O-okay. I-I'll probably just use the mirror in the fitting room anyway."

"O-okay."

As the awkward silence replaced out chat, I went over to the rack and quickly picked up the red bra set I was looking at earlier. _He did say it looked good… Wait, I'm not going to show this to him! That would be too embarrassing._ I quickly hurried back into the fitting room, where Hatsune had finished putting on the next set she had taken with her into the fitting room.

"Ah, found one you think would look good on you?" She asked as I began to undress.

"Huh?" Yuzuru's words briefly appeared in my mind, and I could feel another blush making its way onto my cheeks. "Y-yeah, I did."

"Alright. Change into it quickly so you show it off to my onii-chan~!" She said and went out of the fitting room, carefully moving the curtain so I could keep my privacy. _So she does have_ some _decency, after all._ _Wait, what did she say about showing off?_

I shook my head and ignored what she had said. _She wouldn't really make me do that, would she?_ I changed into the bra and panties I had chosen and posed in front of the mirror. _Yeah, I guess it does look kinda nice. I think I need to lose a bit of weight, though…_

"Are you done changing, Yuri-san? Hatsune asked as she poked her head into the fitting room.

"Y-yeah I am. I think I'll buy this one." I replied to her.

"How can you decide that if my onii-chan hasn't seen it yet!" Hatsune opened up the curtain and grabbed me by the arm. "Onii-chan! Have a look at how pretty Yuri looks with this on!"

"Waitwaitwaitwaitwait-" I didn't have time to protest before the girl used her surprising strength to drag me out of the fitting room.

"Ah, Hatsune, wait, I don't think Yuri approves of this-" Yuzuru tried to protest, but stopped once Hatsune showed me right in front of him. His face was extremely red, and I figured mine must have been as well. _Gaaaahhh! I could die from the embarrassment!_

"W-well? S-since this c-can't be undone… w-what do y-you think, Yuzuru?" I fidgeted in place and kept my gaze towards the ground. _I need to get out of this situation as soon as possible._

"Ah, i-it… looks good… on you." Yuzuru was not looking directly at me, but he glanced at me every now and then.

"Y-you're not just saying that b-because it's polite, right?" I asked and crossed my arms. _I need to keep my cool. Or rather, I need to_ regain _my cool._

"N-no, it really does… look good on you. T-the colour is nice, too."

"R-really? I-I mean, yeah, I think it looks good too. I guess it's good that… you… also… think so." _Aaaaaahh! What am I even saying!_ "A-anyway, I'll definitely buy this one."

"Will you try out anything else? I'm sure onii-chan would be more than happy to compliment you more." Hatsune said with a mischievous grin.

"I'm sure the ol' pervert would, but I'll have to disappoint him. I only came here on a whim, and this will be the only thing I buy. And _you_ don't get a say in this, Hatsune-chan." I turned to the girl as I finished and put on the angriest face I could muster at the moment. I wasn't _that_ angry with her, but I would prefer if we ended this here.

"Onii-chan, your friend is scaring me." Hatsune said and cowered behind Yuzuru. "But, Okay! I get you, don't worry~!" She then said with a smile as I retreated back into the fitting room.

 _Phew, now to just play it cool and laugh it off with him. He understands, so that should work._ I thought to myself as I changed back into my clothes. Hatsune returned inside and began changing into another set she had picked out. _Is she really going to buy all of these?_

"Yuri-san." I turned to look at the girl upon hearing my name. "I'm sorry I made you do that. I just can't help but tease my brother about these things, you know? Also..." She smirked as she paused to think for a moment. "I also couldn't help but tease _you_."

I suppressed my blush as much as possible before answering. "It's fine. Just… don't do anything like that in the future, please." I replied with a smile and put my shirt back on.

"Are you saying there'll be a next time? Hah! That face – worth it! But, really I'm sorry about this. Although I wasn't lying when I said I would be rooting for you." Hatsune smiled at me, though this time it wasn't a smirk. "I'd love it if you got together with my onii-chan, he needs someone else other than his little sister to take care of him."

"There's no fooling you, huh." I said and sighed. "Alright, _maybe_ I do love Yuzuru. I… don't really know, or something. But… thanks." I returned the smile and got my stuff before leaving the fitting room.

"Ah, Yuri." Yuzuru said and bowed to me. "I'm sorry about my little sister, she is like that sometimes..."

"Oh, don't worry about it. I got some fun out of knowing that you were at least as embarrassed as I was." I said and placed a hand on his shoulder as he lifted his head.

"Ah, so you _were_ embarrassed, then? Good to know that even you can feel that way, hah!" Yuzuru started laughing as he finished.

I pouted and playfully hit him, but then started laughing with him. _I'm glad he didn't want to dwell on it._ I thought to myself as we joked and bantered as usual. Hatsune appeared out of the fitting room every now and then, showing off different sets of lingerie to the two of us. She must have shown about half a dozen different ones to us, before exiting the fitting room fully clothed, carrying a bunch of lingerie sets with her, before dumping them into Yuzuru's lap and making her way to the register. Yuzuru grumbled as the two of us girls laughed at his misery. _I'm glad we met like this, even if it was embarrassing. I hope… I hope I can go shopping with him like this in the future._ I thought with a smile as we left the lingerie store behind.

* * *

"Here are your orders." The waitress said as she brought us the drinks we had ordered.

" _Arigatou._ " I thanked her and gave Yuri and Hatsune their drinks.

"Mmmm… Good, but not La Soleil worthy." Yuri commented as she took a sip from her coffee.

After Hatsune had finished up her underwear shopping, we decided to go to the cafe in the shopping centre for a quick break. Hatsune and I didn't really have any plans other than just going around, and Yuri had only come here to pick up some things she wanted to buy, so we decided that we'd spend time together for now.

"La Soleil? That's the cafe near the University where onii-chan goes to, right?" Hatsune asked.

"Yes, it is. I sometimes go there with my friend Kanade, and after Yuzuru started to stick around me, we've gone there a couple times." Yuri said with a smirk and took another sip of her coffee.

"Hey, you were the one who initially stopped me in the street, then came to find me at the University, and dragged me to the cafe with you. So who's following who, again?" I returned Yuri's banter with some of my own.

"I still think you're the one following me like a lost little puppy. I don't blame you for that, though." She giggled and poked my arm from the other side of the table.

"Yeah, I'll agree with Yuri-san here. But, come to think of it, you don't go to the University, do you?" Hatsune pointed her spoon at Yuri.

"Oh, yeah, I don't. I tried enrolling after finishing High School, but I guess I wasn't smart enough, or something." Yuri let out an awkward laugh before continuing. "I've been working in a couple of part-time jobs for a good while now, and I've been taking some classes here and there, hoping to get in when the next semester starts. Kanade's been real helpful, too."

"Ah, so I'll be your _senpai_ when you eventually get in. Unless I finish my studies before the- OW!" I could feel Yuri's powerful kick hitting my knee below the table.

"You'd like for me to call you senpai, wouldn't you? In. Your. Dreams." Yuri said menacingly, but giggled afterwards, and Hatsune joined her. _These girls… they really love seeing me in agony, don't they?_

"That really hurt, you know." I said and took a large sip of my drink as I rubbed my knee. "I better go check that nothing is broken." I continued and stood up, faking my limp as I made my way towards the toilets.

Only once I finished my business in the toilet did I notice that the bruise on my knee was actually hurting quite a bit. _Ouch, maybe I don't have to fake it that much._ As I opened the door and exited, a flash of pink appeared briefly in my face, before I collided with something. I tumbled backwards and held my forehead, which was now also bruised, thanks to the impact. As I opened my eyes, I saw the backside of a person in front of me, seemingly unscathed by our collision.

"Hey, what are you doing just standing there?" Upon hearing my voice, the person jumped slightly, before starting to turn to look at me. "If you stay like that, I won't be the only one to bump into…." I trailed off and stopped as the girl in front of me fully turned her face to me.

Matching her shoulder-length hair, which was only slightly lighter in shade than Yuri's, were pinkish-red eyes that stared at me in wonder. Her mouth opened ever so slightly when our eyes met. Immediately after seeing her face, I was assaulted by an immense feeling of Déjà-vu, not unlike the time I had met Yuri. But the feeling was more akin to the one I had when I met Kanade, for it was accompanied by something else, too. With Kanade, it had been images, memories, but with this girl? It was a _tune_. A tune, that I knew more than well enough.

A tune that I sometimes heard, accompanied by my Déjà-vu. A tune I had almost forgotten, until now. A tune, that now resonated in my mind, and for the first time, I _heard_ more than just the tune itself.

 _Iradachi o doko ni butsukeru ka sagashiteru…_

* * *

 **AN: Hatsune wasn't the only character I got to introduce! Bet you didn't see that coming? Truth is, I didn't originally intend to introduce her, especially since I dislike rushing things in my stories (It isn't very "realistic" that everything important to the plot happens within a few days, right?), but I thought it might be a nice surprise, and so here we are! And I'm sure the identity of this new character is not a mystery to most people!**


	4. Chapter 4 - Resurfacing Feelings

**AN: Hello and welcome back to… this story, I guess. I left the previous chapter on quite the cliffhanger, and then haven't touched this story in a bit, which I apologize for. Turns out, working on three stories simultaneously is quite a bit of work!**

 **Let's not postpone this any longer, and get to it!**

* * *

 **Chapter 4 – Resurfacing Feelings**

I stared deep into the eyes of the girl in front of me. Just like Yuri and Kanade, she seemed extremely familiar to me, even though I had never seen her before. While I was staring at her, a very familiar tune played in my head. I sometimes heard it whenever I experienced Déjà-vu, but this time it was slightly different, for the tune was accompanied by _singing_. The singing was faint, but I could hear it, and I was 100% sure that the voice of the singer belonged to the girl standing right in front of me.

"You… do I… know you?" The girl in front of me, who I had just quite literally bumped into, asked me. _Her voice… it_ _definitely_ _matches the one I can hear in my head…_

"You know, a week ago I would've asked you the same question, but this is starting to feel like the norm right now..." I said and rubbed the back of my head. "Maybe it really is fate, then."

"Fate..? What are you..?" She looked at me, confused, then sighed. "Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but you seem _really_ familiar to me, and it's creeping me the fuck out."

"Believe me, I had that same reaction the first time it happened. Now, I'm sure there's a good reason for all of this, even though I don't know it yet, but… I'm sure all of us together can figure it out." I said and casually walked past her, stopping just behind her.

"Hey, wait! What do you mean 'all of us'?" The girl grabbed my arm to prevent me from leaving, not like I intended to do that in the first place.

"Let me ask you this first." I said and turned to look at her straight in the eyes. "What you… felt when you saw me, you've… felt it before, right? The Déjà-vu?"

"Déjà-vu..? I… Yes, I have. But… why is that important?"

"It's important because I have the same kind of experiences that you do. And we're not the only ones. I know two other girls who I've become acquainted with recently who also experience this Déjà-vu. We… don't know why it happens, but we think we can figure that out together."

The girl stared at me quietly, then let go of my arm. She looked to be deep in thought.

"I'm not saying we have answers, but we believe we have the means to find those answers. Oh, and my name is Otonashi Yuzuru, by the way. Nice to meet you."

"I'm… Iwasawa Masami." Hearing her name caused the tune to return to my head, albeit briefly. _What is her connection to it?_ "I…" She looked like she wanted to say something, but couldn't get the words out.

"I came here with my sister, and one of the girls I mentioned is with us, too. If you want to, you could hang out with us. Who knows, maybe we'll get some answers" I said to her with a smile.

Iwasawa nodded after a brief moment, and the two of us made our way back to the table where Yuri and Hatsune were sitting at. Hatsune had a mischievous grin on her face, while Yuri was covering her face with her hands. _Hatsune… what are you up to now?_

"Ah, onii-chan! Well? How is your leg?" Hatsune said once she noticed me.

"It's bruised, just like my forehead now, but It'll be fine. I don't think Yuri really meant that kick." I replied to her.

"Your forehead? What happened? Did you slip in the toilet and hit your head?"

"No, I just bumped into a very rude person who was just standing outside the bathroom as I got out." I said and gestured towards Iwasawa, who was stood just behind me.

"Hah! Just like you to be clumsy, Yuzuru! Who is the innocent bystander you have..." Yuri stopped as she saw Iwasawa.

"Hm? Yuri-san? What's wrong?" Hatsune glanced between Yuri and Iwasawa, who were both frozen in place.

"What… what is your name?" Yuri was the first to speak.

"Huh? O-oh. It's Iwasawa. Iwasawa Masami." She replied.

"Iwasawa..." Yuri's eyes went wide for a moment. "Say… do you… like… do music? Like, playing instruments or singing?" She asked.

"Music? I mean, I listen to a lot of music, but… I don't play anything myself. When I was younger, I always wanted to be a musician, but nowadays… Augh, this will sound weird, but… whenever I think about playing an instrument or singing, I… I just get this… feeling… I-I can't explain it..."

"A feeling… like you've… done it before? Like it… means something… _more_ than just what's happening right now?" I queried from Iwasawa.

"Yeah, that's… one way of describing it. Do you ever… experience a… similar feeling?"

"Quite often, actually. We call it 'Déjà-vu', since the things that trigger it feel familiar to us, like we've done it before, but the feeling is… real. As I told you, we don't know why it happens, and why we specifically are affected, but we're trying to figure it out along the way." I explained.

"Other than Yuzuru and I, there's one other person we're aware of who is affected by… whatever this is. Her name is Kanade, and I've known her for a year, while I only met Yuzuru recently. Whatever the cause, there must be some reason for this phenomenon. Another… acquaintance of mine called it _fate_ , but I'm still a little sceptical about that." Yuri continued my explanation.

"I… see. You are… Yuri-san, right?" Iwasawa asked and pointed at Yuri.

"Yep! Nakamura Yuri is my name. The red-headed dolt is Otonashi Yuzuru, and the girl next to him is his little sister, Hatsune." Yuri introduced herself and the two of us, although I didn't need the introduction.

"So, your little sister does not experience this… _Déjà-vu_?"

"No, I don't. Onii-chan has always been the crazy one out of the two of us. I've always supported him, though, being the good little sister that I am~! I'm glad that he's finally found some equally crazy friends, like Yuri-san. Oh, speaking of which, you should get your friend Kanade to come over! I'd love to meet more of my onii-chan's friends!" Hatsune pointed at Yuri as she finished.

"Oh, good idea. Iwasawa-san, feel free to sit down." Yuri got up and smiled, allowing Iwasawa to sit down with us.

I sat down as well, and with Iwasawa now with us, Yuri was directly opposite of me. Hatsune, being the extrovert that she is, started conversing with Iwasawa immediately, while Yuri called Kanade. Apart from occasionally joining the girls' conversation, I was left kinda alone. The situation didn't feel that awkward, though. I had noticed this recently, but Yuri's presence made me feel… relaxed. I could already be as open with her as I wanted to be, but now I felt like I could truly "put my guard down" around her, so to speak. Soon enough, I found myself staring at Yuri as she spoke with Kanade on the phone. I would get lost in her green eyes for a few moments, before Iwasawa asking me a question, or Hatsune saying something to me pulled me out of my trance. She moved her free hand around quite frantically as she spoke, which I found a little bit adorable. Every now and then, she would glance towards me, and she would smile a little. I felt myself oddly drawn to her. Before long, Yuri ended the phone call and put her phone away, but I was still looking at her quite intently.

"Right, Kanade said she should be able to make it here soon. But..." Yuri said and focused her gaze on me. "I'm pretty sure you were staring at me that whole time, Yuzuru. Is there something on my face?" _Shit, she noticed?_

"Ah, n-no. I-I wasn't really staring at you, Yuri. I was just… thinking about stuff, and happened to look in your direction, since you're directly opposite of me and all." I said and scratched my cheek as I averted my gaze from her for the first time in a few minutes.

" _Reeeeeaaaaally now_?" Yuri said and giggled. Gods, her laugh was cute. "It's okay, Yuzuru. I'm used to you doing things like that already. _Hentai_." Yuri couldn't hold in her laughter after that, and burst out loudly.

"Um… pardon me for asking, but... since you use each other's first names and all..… Could you two possibly be..?" Iwasawa asked once Yuri had calmed down a little.

"Be…? Oh, I get you. No, we're not. It's just… I don't know, ever since we met, we've just kind of… clicked, I guess. This is just our usual banter." I replied to her.

"Y-yeah. Despite being complete strangers at first, after a little bit of time chatting, we felt like the best of friends." Yuri explained with a slight tint of red on her cheeks.

"Oh, I see. Sorry that I asked." Iwasawa said and bowed briefly.

"Hmmm? And why would you be asking that, Iwasawa-san? Don't tell me you've set your sights on my onii-chan?" Hatsune asked with a mischievous grin. Interestingly, it was _Yuri_ who turned away blushing. _That's… odd. Is she still embarrassed about what happened at the lingerie store?_

"No, I haven't 'set my sights on him'. I was just curious about their relationship, since they seemed so friendly with each other." Iwasawa responded with a straight face. _Looks like Hatsune met her match. I knew her teasing definitely wouldn't get through Kanade, but it seems she didn't even need to be brought out to the playing field yet!_

" _Good!_ " Hatsune said in English and made a 'thumbs-up' gesture towards Iwasawa. "After all, onii-chan is already reserved for Yuri-san~!" she then continued.

"W-w-what d-do you m-mean by t-that!" Yuri stammered while wildly waving her hands around.

"H-Hatsune!" I said and sighed. "Stop saying stuff like that, you'll give people the wrong idea."

"What, don't tell me you haven't thought of it before, onii-chan?" Hatsune asked and poked my arm.

"I-I t-told you to stop it!" _I need to steer away from that topic, right now!_ " _Ahem._ Ignoring my sister for now, could you tell us more about your Déjà-vu experiences, and the things that trigger them?" I said to Iwasawa, then glanced at Yuri, who had seemingly regained her composure.

"Yes, please tell us. It might help shed some light on things." Yuri seemingly noticed my attempt to change the subject. _I knew I could count on you! That was getting very awkward for the both of us!_

"Oh, alright. Hmmmm…" Iwasawa brought a hand to her chin. "Let me think…"

Iwasawa started talking to us about her experiences. Most of her triggers were focused around music, and she didn't seem to have that many of them, at least compared to the two of us. She told us that she had… faint memories of playing the guitar, but she had never even touched one in her life. While her experiences and triggers were different, we could spot some common themes between us. I told her about the tune I heard every now and then, and how seeing her caused me to hear it more clearly. Hatsune stayed mostly quiet, only occasionally joining the conversation. I didn't blame her for it, though. Out of the four of us, she was the only one who had never had any of the experiences we did on a nearly daily basis. _I'm glad I could stop her teasing, though. I have to admit, she wasn't completely wrong in her statement. I certainly think of Yuri as a very pretty girl, and I have thought about the possibility of having a relationship with her, but… I don't know_ _enough_ _about my own feelings yet._ _I'm somewhat drawn to her, but that could just be because of our shared experiences, and the odd… familiarity, or connection that we seemingly have,_ _kinda like I felt with Kanade_ _. And of course, I have to take her feelings into consideration, too. I have no idea how she feels about me, and I doubt she would harbour romantic feelings towards me, since we only met recently. I should probably just wait until we find out the reason for our Déjà-vu. Perhaps then I will know why I feel drawn to her._ I had spaced out for quite a while, preoccupied with my own thoughts, as I didn't immediately notice that Kanade had joined us.

"Otonashi-kun, Yuri, nice to see you again." Kanade's voice finally alerted me to her presence.

"Heya, Kanade! Good to see you could make it." Yuri said and smiled at her blunt friend.

"Could I inquire about the people here with you?" Kanade asked and gestured towards us.

"Huh? Oh, sorry, I didn't notice you there, Tachibana-san. This here is my little sister, Hatsune." I said and ruffled my sister's hair. "And the girl sitting next to Yuri is Iwasawa Minami. We just met her, but she's… like us, if you catch my drift."

"Yes, Yuri told me something like that." Kanade paused and shifted her gaze to Iwasawa.

"You… you seem… familiar, like these two. But unlike the two of them… I feel like I should be afraid of you." Iwasawa said as she pointed a finger at Kanade.

"Afraid? I do not know why you should be afraid of me. But, forgive me. My name is Tachibana Kanade." She bowed briefly and stared intriguingly at Iwasawa. "Tell me… do you play an instrument?"

"Huh? No, I don't. Your friends already asked me about that, but… why?"

"I get the feeling you would be really good at it. Also… your name brings in to mind a… _memory_. Yes, let's call it that."

"A memory? What's it about?" I asked as I turned to Kanade, and she brought a hand to her chin, taking on a thoughtful pose.

"The memory has a… melody. I can… see myself walking while humming the melody. Yuri is there, too, and so are you, Otonashi-kun."

"You can remember something like that? But… that's never happened to us." Yuri said. "What's the melody like?"

Kanade thought for a brief moment, and then began to silently hum the melody. I instantly recognised it as the tune I heard on many occasions, and as I looked at Iwasawa, I could her her singing again. Hearing Kanade humming like this triggered something in me. At first, I felt a sting in my chest, and my vision went slightly hazy. All I could hear was her humming, and all I could see in front of me was her. _What's happening? Her humming… I've heard her hum this melody before, but… when? And why is it affecting me like this?_ _What… what is this feeling?_ I clutched my chest as the pain became even greater. I couldn't see anything else other than Kanade happily prancing forward, wearing clothes that looked like a school uniform, though I didn't recognise them.

"Yuzuru!" I heard Yuri's voice, and turned to see her next to me, clothed similarly to Kanade. "Are you okay? Yuzuru! What's wrong?" I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Onii-chan?" Hatsune's voice came from my other side, but as I turned around, all I could see was a hospital bed. A figure was sleeping in the bed, with hair the same hue as mine.

"Otonashi-kun? Is everything alright? You're clutching your chest quite hard." Iwasawa's voice came from in front of me, and again, once I turned to her, I saw something completely different. I saw an acoustic guitar, laying on a stage, completely alone.

As I looked at each one of them, I felt extremely powerful feelings. With Hatsune and the hospital bed, it was sorrow, sadness, _loss_. With Iwasawa and the guitar, it was compassion, sympathy, but also a sense of _relief_. With Yuri and Kanade, however… it was something different. For both of them, I felt affection. Attraction. _Love_. Kanade's felt… distant, nearly gone from my reach, long-forgotten, but there was a slight feeling of dread or fear accompanied with it. For Yuri, it felt close, warm, and within reach, if only I chose to reach for it, but there was also a degree of respect and authority. Suddenly, the images I was seeing started to fade away, and the feelings with them, as Kanade stopped humming. Soon, I was back in reality, and the pain in my chest was gone.

"Yuzuru! What happened? Does it hurt somewhere?" Yuri asked me, and I noticed that she was extremely close to me, holding onto both of my shoulders.

"H-huh? O-oh, I'm f-fine. I think." As I looked at Yuri, the feelings I had felt a moment ago came back. _Affection, attraction,_ love _._ Her close proximity caused me to blush, and my heart began to beat a little faster. "Just, uhhh… Tachibana-san's humming caused me to… _feel_ something."

"Hm? And what could that be?" Kanade asked and raised an eyebrow. As I looked at her, just like with Yuri, the feeling came back.

"I… I don't know. I felt that… I had heard you humming the same melody before, and… I saw all of you. Or, at least, the things I saw felt like they… were… you… or something. It… was weird." I tried to explain.

"Are you sure you're not going crazy, onii-chan? Because you definitely sound like it." Hatsune's voice came with a nearly overwhelming feeling of sadness and melancholy, but as I looked at her and saw that she was smiling, holding in a laugh, that melancholy was replaced by joy and a feeling of fulfilment.

"Haah, maybe I am. Although… as I look at all of you now, I can… feel things that I definitely didn't feel before. Also, uhhh… Yuri. You're… kinda close..."

As I said that, Yuri's face became crimson red, and she quickly removed her hands from my shoulders, jerking herself backwards in the process.

"S-sorry. Y-you looked like you were in pain, so I-I was w-worried." Yuri said as she backed away and sat back down in her chair. " _Ahem._ But… what do you mean by 'feeling things that you didn't feel before'?" She then asked.

"That's..." I thought of the feelings I now felt when looking at Yuri and Kanade. "As I said earlier when you were on the phone, I sometimes hear a specific tune when I experience Déjà-vu, and that tune is somehow… _linked_ to Iwasawa. The melody that you were humming, Tachibana-san, was that very tune. Hearing you hum it caused… something, which caused me to suddenly feel very… strong feelings associated with each one of you." I explained to them.

"Interesting. I certainly felt something, too, when I looked at Iwasawa-san, but nothing like you just described." Kanade said and paused for a brief moment before continuing. "What are these feelings that you feel, then?"

"I… well..." I decided it would probably be for the best if I left out the unexplainable feelings of attraction towards Yuri and Kanade. "When I look at Hatsune, I feel… sadness, loss, even. While Tachibana-san was humming, I looked towards her, but instead of seeing her sitting here like this, I saw a… hospital bed." Hatsune looked back at me wide-eyed.

"Loss..? Hospital bed..? That's… very odd, onii-chan. If I didn't know you, I would be concerned for your mental health." Hatsune said to me, sounding the most serious she had ever been.

"What about the rest of us, then? What do you feel when you look at us?" Yuri asked. _That was the one question I didn't want her to ask._

"With Iwasawa-san, I feel sympathy and compassion, but also a bit of relief. It's almost like … I don't know, something… happened, and I feel… bad about it? But there's a sense of understanding, and relief that… whatever happened, it ended in a good way." I stopped talking, and hoped they wouldn't ask anything further.

"Like something happened? But… what? And when? This is the first time I'm meeting any of you, and I don't think anything that interesting has happened in my life that would cause such feelings to appear for someone else." Iwasawa said with a thoughtful look on her face.

" _In your life..._ " Kanade said thoughtfully. "It's only a hypothesis, but… we have thought of the possibility before, that the experiences we call 'Déjà-vu' are actually memories from a… _past life_. It sounds crazy, but if it is true, or possible, it might be the reason for this." She explained as she took a seat at the table, while motioning for a waiter to come over.

"Hmmm… I always thought that was the least likely possibility, but now… suddenly having memories come back to us that we never had… Hatsune-chan, you've never been ill, or otherwise in hospital?" Yuri asked from my sister, who shook her head as a reply. "Feeling things associated with something that never happened… it is starting to sound like a plausible explanation..."

As the waiter arrived and took Kanade's order, the rest of us decided to order another round of drinks as well. It didn't take long for our orders to arrive, and we stayed almost completely silent while waiting, all of us absorbed in our thoughts regarding the situation. I glanced around the table between the three girls, each time the feelings now associated with them coming back to me, albeit not as strongly as they initially did. _If Kanade's hypothesis is correct, that would certainly explain some things, but… it would also mean that we all knew each other in that past life. But that also leaves the question of how my little sister isn't affected by any of this. I feel something towards her, and the hospital bed I saw felt all too real… That feeling of loss… Maybe… Maybe she was my little sister in that past life, too, but something… happened to her…_ before _I met any of these girls…_ I felt like I had just hit a revelation, but the thought of Hatsune not being there…. It sent a chill down my spine, so I steered away from it.

"Otonashi-kun, I believe you have said before that you've avoided things that trigger your Déjà-vu? That you believe they might be… dangerous to your health because of a few accidents?" Kanade broke the silence by asking me a question, to which I nodded as an answer, while taking a sip of my coffee. "Perhaps… perhaps your way of thinking has been… _wrong_. Think about it. We've recently become acquainted, and because of that, we've had all these memories… 'come back to us'. What if... instead of avoiding these triggers, we should actively seek them out? I'm not a strong believer in fate, but… maybe it's fate that is pushing us towards these things, these… memories. And because we avoid them, we are struggling against fate, not getting any of the answers we seek." Kanade explained. _She would make a great philosopher, I think._

"That… sounds almost plausible. But..." Yuri was the next one to speak. "Should we really just give in? To me, it almost sounds like we would become fate's puppets, dancing to its every whim in desperate search for… something." Yuri gripped her cup strongly as she finished.

"Both of you raise valid points, but… How do we know what we have to seek out? I mean, we obviously know which things trigger our Déjà-vu, but I've been in the presence of some of them for long periods of time, and I'm as clueless as we all are." I said.

"That's the thing, we don't know. You cannot _find_ something you are already aware of, yes?" Kanade asked. _Well, you're right, but sometimes you might be searching for something precisely_ because _you are aware of it. I get her point, though._ "That's why we have to search for it, or any clues we might have relating to it."

"Hmmm… You said you felt like I would be good at playing a musical instrument, right?" Iwasawa asked, and Kanade nodded to her. "Nakamura-san asked something similar, and Otonashi-kun said that the tune he heard had something to do with me. I wanted to be a musician when I was younger, but as I grew older and became more aware of my 'Déjà-vu', I… gave up on that dream, since the very idea of creating music gave me this… feeling. If what you're saying is true..." Iwasawa trailed off and looked to each of us briefly.

"...Then if you started playing an instrument, you would be going along with 'fate', and get the answers you want?" Hatsune was the one to finish Iwasawa's sentence for her.

"Precisely. If there's even a chance that I'll be able to get some answers from it… I'm willing to start playing an instrument."

"In that case, we should probably exchange contact information, so we can keep in touch. Our meeting today was accidental, but given our… shared experiences, we should probably stick together. After all, it might just be fate that's pulling us together anyway." Yuri said with a smile as she took out her phone.

"We'll see, won't we? And even if it doesn't shed any light on the situation… well, you guys seem like a fun lot to hang out with, anyway." Iwasawa replied with a smile of her own.

"Hmmmm…. Onii-chan is befriending even more girls… perhaps we should start considering a _harem…_ "Hatsune said quietly, but not quietly enough for me to not hear her.

"Didn't I tell you not to say stuff like that? Cut it out." I said and chopped my sister on the head gently, eliciting a giggle from Yuri.

Hatsune grinned back at me a with a cute _Teehee~!_ , and chuckled a little as I ruffled her hair again. Yuri stared at the two of us with a smile as she exchanged numbers with Iwasawa. As I looked back at her, the feeling of affection towards her returned to me. _A past life where I knew these girls, huh… What would the reason be for the feelings I now have towards Yuri and Kanade, though? With Hatsune, it can be explained with… well, I don't want to think about it, and with Iwasawa, something significant clearly happened, which is what causes this feeling. As for the two of them… why would I feel affection, even attraction towards both of them? And then the other feelings… Iwasawa said she felt like she should be afraid of Kanade when she first saw her, and I felt that too, now. As for Yuri…_ I directed my gaze at the purple-haired girl across from me. _I can definitely feel a sense of authority from her, along with this…_ warmth _._ As Yuri glanced in my direction, our eyes met, and I suddenly felt a blush coming to my cheeks, so I quickly averted my gaze.

"Oh, come to think of it..." Yuri suddenly said. "You told us what you felt when you looked at Hatsune-chan and Iwasawa-san, but what about the two of us?" I twitched slightly.

"That is true. You did say that you felt something when you looked at each one of us. It might help if you told us." Kanade said, now turning her auric eyes towards me as well.

"I… uhh… well..." I swallowed and rubbed the back of my neck. _It'll be fine, just don't mention the…_ love _I felt._ "Well, with Tachibana-san, I felt… dread. Fear, even. Which somewhat clashed with what I _saw_ , as you were… happily prancing about while humming. And with you, Yuri..." I looked at the girl in question, who looked back at me with intrigue, and the blush returned to my face. "T-there was a… feeling of authority and respect, like you were in a position above me, or something."

"Is that all, onii-chan?" Hatsune asked with a devious smirk. _Wait… does she… somehow know?_

"Uh, y-yeah, t-that's all that I felt, nothing else." I replied and swallowed. Hatsune studied my face for a few moments, before winking and turning away. _There's no way she knows, right? Why is she acting like that, though?_

"Fear, huh. I wonder why all of you seem to associate that emotion with me. Perhaps… I was not as friendly with you in the past life as I am now." Kanade commented.

" _Authority_?" Yuri said and smirked. "Well, you got that right, Yuzuru, as I am _clearly_ on the top in our relationship." Hatsune almost choked on her drink as Yuri finished, then erupted into laughter. "Huh? What's so funny, Hatsune-chan?"

"Did you… not pay attention to yourself? The way you worded that… yeah." Iwasawa said awkwardly.

 _What does she mean by that? And why would Hatsune react like that? The way she worded it…_ Suddenly, realization hit me like a truck. I could feel a blush rising to my cheeks.

"Ah, yeah… Yuri… I get that you wanted to reply with our usual banter, but… You should have chosen your words a bit more carefully..." I said and rubbed the back of my neck.

"What are you..?" It seems Yuri finally realized what she had said, as her entire face became crimson red. "WAITWAIT NONONONO T-THAT'S N-NOT HOW I M-MEANT IT!" Yuri's shout drew some attention to us, as she frantically waved her hands and wriggled in her chair, trying to explain the situation to us, but given the speed at which the words left her mouth, not much really got through to us.

"Yuri." Kanade said in her usual emotionless tone. "You don't need to cause such a scene. You simply didn't think your words through, that is all. I do not understand why it would warrant such a reaction, unless there really is some feelings behi..."

"Ah, you're right, Kanade! Everything is fine now. I was just a little shocked, is all." Yuri said as she swiftly covered her friend's mouth her hands.

"Heh, I was right in my observation that you guys would be fun to hang out with. I hope we can meet up like this again." Iwasawa said as she finished her drink and got up. "I'll have to take my leave, now, but I'll be in contact with Yuri. And I'll definitely look into getting an instrument, so we can test out Tachibana-san's theory."

"Alright, I hope we'll meet again soon, Iwasawa-san!" I said and waved a hand at her as she walked away from us. "Hopefully without us crashing into each other."

"Yeah, we'll be in touch! See you!" Yuri said energetically.

"It was nice meeting you, Iwasawa-san. I hope my theory works out, so we can find some answers together." Kanade said to her and… smiled? _That's the most expressive I've seen her be._

"Goodbye, Iwasawa-san! I hope you'll continue to be a great friend to my onii-chan!" Hatsune said, even more energetically than Yuri, while waving her hand.

After saying goodbyes to Iwasawa, we finished our drinks as well. It was still quite early, so we didn't want to leave for home just yet. Since Kanade was now with us, we decided to continue our shopping trip with the four of us. I thought about everything we had discussed along the way. _Actively seeking out our sources of Déjà-vu, huh… I guess for me that would be studying Healthcare, although I don't think it's possible for me to_ _switch at this point in the semester, anyway. I wonder if Yuri or Kanade know anything they could try to do? I don't know really anything about Kanade, but Yuri… well, I don't know enough about her to know if she has anything easily achievable. Now that I think about it… if Kanade's theory is correct, could that mean that there are other people out there, who are like us, but_ didn't _struggle against fate? Would they have found the answers we seek?_ I was brought out of my thoughts by the laughter coming from Hatsune and Yuri. As I looked at them, the feelings I had felt came back, but the sound of their laughs and their happy faces drowned out those feelings, and I could feel a smile of my own forming on my face.

 _Fate, if you can hear me, I'm really glad you made me run into Yuri. That was one of the best moments of my life._

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 **AN: Aaaand done! I'm slowly getting this story going, and I get the feeling that it'll only go faster from here! I've already thought up some things that I want to happen in the future, but it might take a while before I can incorporate them into the story, since I am writing three stories at once. I'll try my best, though, hopefully without rushing anything.**


	5. Chapter 5 - Unravelling the Mystery

**AN: Finally back to this story. There was a lot on my plate recently, so to speak, so updating this took a while. I also had to do some actual research for this chapter, regarding how higher level education works in Japan. More specifically, I was trying to figure out if Japanese Universities have Student Councils like the High Schools do. I couldn't find a clear answer, but I will make the assumption that something like that exists, and I've settled for calling it the "Student Government" in this chapter. If someone happens to be an expert regarding the topic, I would very much like to know more about it. In any case, whether it exists or not shouldn't have too much of an impact on the story. Speaking of which, let's get this show on the road!**

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 **Chapter 5 – Unravelling the Mystery**

I was listening to our teacher intently, while keeping an eye on the clock. _Only twenty minutes left before the day is over._ Economics wasn't that hard, but it could get pretty boring at times. I knew better than to sleep in class, though, even if I sometimes wanted to do so. Firstly, I didn't want to mess up my studies, and secondly, if I slept in class, I would likely incur the wrath of a certain raven-haired girl who hated my guts. _If I closed my eyes for even a split second, I wouldn't hear the end of it from Kotegawa-san…_ I glanced over to my left, where the girl currently on my mind was sitting. _She's pretty, but her personality counteracts that. Doesn't help that we became acquainted in the worst way possible…_ I let out a small sigh, and immediately felt her glare on me, but only for a brief moment. I looked over at the clock again, though the hands had barely moved from the last time I had looked. Suddenly, my phone started to vibrate in my pocket. Given that apart from the teacher, it was quite silent in the classroom, I could easily assume that most people heard it vibrate. One of those people was Kotegawa Yui, who was now glaring at me extra hard. _Who the heck is calling me at a time like this? Hatsune knows I've still got school, and it can't be one of Takiya's pranks, as he's sitting just in front of me._ I reached into my pocket and picked up my phone, which turned out to be a mistake, as the glare Kotegawa gave me increased in intensity.

"Otonashi-kun, is there something you'd like to say regarding the subject?" The teacher suddenly asked me.

"Huh? O-oh, nothing, Sensei. I apologize for interrupting." I said and closed my phone to stop the vibration.

The teacher eyed me for a second, but continued his lecture shortly afterwards. I cast my gaze towards Kotegawa, who was looking at me intently. As soon as our eyes met, however, she turned away. The last fifteen minutes or so passed without anything significant, with our teacher finishing his lecture and ordering us to study the subject at home. _I don't think I'll have a problem with this, even if I missed a part of his lecture thanks to the sudden distraction. I doubt things would be as easy if I studied healthcare._ My thoughts wandered back to last Sunday, when I had met Iwasawa for the first time, and when Kanade had suggested that from now on, we should try to look for answers by following along with fate, seeking out the different triggers for our Déjà-vu. _Yuri told me that Kanade was going to try to get into the Student Government here at our Uni, since she skipped_ _out on joining the Student Council_ _in High School, and it apparently is one of the triggers for her._ _I haven't heard from Iwasawa, but I would assume that she's looking into getting an instrument. Yuri hasn't told me about her plans yet, and I have no idea what I should do. I'll have to see about asking a teacher if I can change courses at this point in the semester…_

"Otonashi-kun." A female voice brought me out of my thoughts. I looked towards the source of the voice and saw Kotegawa standing by the classroom door.

"Y-yes?" I couldn't help but stutter when faced with her glare.

"When you've packed up, come to the vending machine down the hallway. We need to talk." From her tone of voice, I got the feeling she wasn't going to take 'no' for an answer.

I weakly nodded to her before she turned around and left the classroom. _Why would she want to speak with me? Unless she's going to lecture me about the phone call… Which reminds me, I'll have to check who the person who tried to call me was._ I packed up my things and left the classroom. As I was making my way over to the vending machine, I pulled out my phone and opened it. Going to the missed calls, I found out that Yuri had tried to call me. _Yuri? Did she not think that I still had school? I'll have to call her back_ _once I'm done with Kotewaga._ I pocketed my phone again as I arrived at the vending machine, where Kotegawa was leaning against the wall.

"Hey, Kotegawa-san." I said and raised my hand as I walked up to her. "What did you want to talk about?" She raised her gaze to meet mine and sighed.

"I would have told you off about using your phone in class, but even I realize that you getting a call is something you can't do anything about. Doesn't mean that I'm going to let you off the hook, though. Who even called you?" Kotegawa asked and raised an eyebrow at me.

"Ah, it was one of my friends, Yuri. You've… met her before." I rubbed the back of my neck as I recalled the time we bumped into each other in La Soleil.

"So it was that girl, huh..." Kotegawa said quietly and looked down at the floor.

Suddenly, the atmosphere got really awkward, as both of us fell silent. I looked at the vending machine and fetched my wallet from my pocket. _I've got some pocket money, enough for some drinks, at least._

"Would you, uhh… like a drink? I can pay for it." I said as I put some coins into the machine and picked out a drink for myself.

"What? I-I mean… It's not like I _need_ or _want_ a drink from you, but… I-I'll take you up on that offer, just this once." Kotegawa seemed surprised by my question.

"Do you want anything specific?" I asked as I crouched down to pick up the green tea I had bought.

"I-I don't care, I'll have the s-same as you, I guess."

"Roger that." I put a few more coins into the vending machine and bought another can of tea, then handed it over to Kotegawa.

"Thanks." Kotegawa said as she took the tea from my hands.

As we began to drink, the awkward silence fell upon us once again. I was contemplating on calling Yuri now, but I didn't want to come out as rude for Kotegawa. Then again, her image of me was already as bad as it could be, thanks to our first meeting. _It was back when I first started here. I asked Kotegawa for help with something, but then… I don't want to recall it. Her shouting "Shameless! Pervert!" and other relating insults still haunts my dreams sometimes. I've tried to apologize to her, but… Maybe this time, I'll get through to her._

"So… Kotegawa-san..." I said to catch attention of my female companion.

"What is it?" Kotegawa asked, her voice – surprisingly – _not_ laden with venom.

"Well… I've said this all before, but… We… didn't really get a good start when we first met. I'd just want to say once again that I'm sorry for what happened. I honestly just want to be friends with you, even if you hate me. So… If possible, I'd like for us to start fresh." I explained to Kotegawa, speaking from my heart.

"..." Kotegawa stayed silent, her expression gloomy. "...You really think I hate you?" She then said quietly.

"Huh? I mean… With the way you act..." Suddenly, the words Takiya said to me last week came back to me. _'_ _...she is kind of a tsundere...' Tsundere… He couldn't have really… meant that, right?_ I studied Kotegawa's expression more closely, but she turned away once she realized I was staring at her.

"...I guess that's what it would seem like, huh?" Kotegawa raised her head and looked me in the eyes, and she looked like she was holding back tears. "I… Don't hate you, Otonashi-kun. Never have. I'm… sorry. Yuri was the one who called you, right? You should… call her back." She then quickly finished her drink and tossed the can into a nearby trash can before starting to walk towards the exit, though she stopped a few meters away from me to briefly turn to look back at me. "And… I'd… like to… I don't know… be your friend, I guess. Geez, I don't know! Just… know that I don't hate you, or whatever. I'll… see you around."

I simply stood there, speechless. The whole time I had known Kotegawa, I always thought she hated me, and now, she herself said to me that she didn't. _I'm glad that she_ _wants to be friends with me. Although… Takiya did call her a_ tsundere… _but that would mean...No, there's no way. There wouldn't be any reason for her to fall in love with me. I've interacted more with Yuri_ _in the little time I've known her_ _than I have with_ _Kotegawa_ _over_ _a year!_ I sighed and finished my drink, then took out my phone to dial Yuri's number.

"Yuzuru! Finally!" Yuri said as she answered the phone. "I tried to call you earlier but you didn't pick up."

"I was still in the middle of class, you know. I almost got into trouble because of you." I replied to her. "I even got scolded by Kotegawa-san, although… I think the relationship I have with her is going to get better from now on."

"Kotegawa-san? The girl with the long, black hair who hates your guts? What happened?"

"Well, turns out, she never actually hated me. She just..." I thought of Takiya's statement once again. _No, I'm quite sure she doesn't love me. Even if she is tsundere, that doesn't mean she has to be attracted to me. People like her just have a hard time being true to their feelings, so that's why she acted angry at me all the time, even though she wanted to be friends. Yeah, that must be it._ "Kotegawa-san is the kind of person who has trouble… expressing themselves correctly, if you catch my drift. She wanted for us to be friends, but her… personality got in the way, and she ended up acting like she hated me." I explained after a few moments of silence.

"Hmmmm..? ' _Friends_ ', you say? Well, I can't blame you for not seeing what I can see. But I guess I'm glad that things have been smoothed out between you two." _'_ _See what she can see'? What is she talking about?_

"Uh, yeah, I'm glad too. By the way, why did you call me in the first place?"

"O-oh, well… I just thought we could… you know, hang out, maybe? We could like… discuss what we can do to help Kanade's experiment, or something." _Is it just me or can I_ hear _her fidgeting?_

"I'd love to hang out with you, Yuri. I've got nothing else to do to do anyway. Where do you wanna meet up? La Soleil?"

"Huh? Oh, sure thing. You can go ahead of me, I'll be there soon."

"Sounds good to me. I'll see you there, Yuri!"

"Yeah, see you, Yuzuru!"

After the phone call ended, I left the campus for La Soleil. _Yuri said she'd be there soon, but I don't actually know how soon that is. If it's anything like last Thursday, she'll be late, but will be wearing pretty clothes. Heh, I kind of wish that would be the case, now._ The trip there was uneventful, and the cafe itself was relatively quiet, with only a few people scattered here and there. I took a seat and soon after Kashou walked up to me.

"Hello, Otonashi-san. You're here without Nakamura-san today?" Kashou asked as he took a seat opposite to me.

"Hey, Kashou-san! Yuri is coming around soon, though I would guess she might be here later rather than sooner." I replied to him with a chuckle.

"Ah, I see. So, how are things going for you two anyway?" Kashou leaned forward and rested his had in his palms as he looked at me.

"What do mean by that? I mean, going great, I guess? Despite knowing her only for a short time, Yuri probably counts as my best friend right now, and I think she feels the same way."

"That wasn't exactly what I meant by that, Otonashi-san. I talking about how things going for you two _romantically_." Kashou said and grinned at me, where as I simply sighed at him.

"Shouldn't you be _working_ right now instead of chatting with me? I'd like a coffee while I wait for Yuri." I had almost expected Kashou to say something akin to that, so I was mentally prepared for it. _I know the game you're playing – I play it on a nearly daily basis with Yuri, after all! It's safe to say that she's the only person who can make me flustered with comments like that._ _Now that I think about, me and her are kinda Nishikata and Takagi, in a way. The only exception being that unlike Nishikata, I can actually get back at Yuri._

"Understood, Otonashi- _sama_." Kashou said mockingly in the most formal voice he could muster as he stood up and saluted at me, before leaving.

I sighed again as he left and took out my phone in order to send a quick message to Yuri that I was already La Soleil. It didn't long for me to get a reply from her saying that she'd be here within five minutes. _Guess she isn't going to show up in pretty clothes then, huh?_ I thought and chuckled to myself. _Doesn't really matter, though. Yuri is pretty no matter what she's got on her._ Kashou's question suddenly popped into my head. _How are things going romantically, huh? I don't think they're going anywhere at all. We are pretty close, and tease each other all the time, but that's_ _just_ _our friendly banter. I don't see the two of us together any time soon. Although… What happened last Sunday did…_ awaken _something. When Kanade started humming the tune associated with Iwasawa, I suddenly started to feel attracted to both Yuri and Kanade, and I still don't know_ _exactly why_ _._ My thoughts were briefly interrupted as Kashou brought me my coffee, though Yuri was still nowhere to be seen. _I need to get to the bottom of this, more than ever. Those feelings of attraction… it felt all too real. Same with the sadness I felt when I looked at Hatsune._ I took a sip from my coffee when suddenly my phone started vibrating again. I put the cup back down and looked at the phone screen. _I don't recognise that number. I wonder who it could be?_

"Otonashi Yuzuru." I said as I answered the call. _Better go with this, in case the caller has the wrong number._

"Otonashi-kun? Wait, I'll put it on the loudspeaker, say something again real quick." A male voice said to me. The phone distorted the voice a little, but I could swear I had heard the voice before.

"Uh, hello? Who is this I'm speaking with?" _What's with the honorific? Is it someone I know?_

"A-ha! Yep, it's totally him." This time, a female voice said. Again, her voice felt slightly familiar. _I really get the feeling I've heard her voice somewhere… She sounds a little like a certain rich and sadistic Kanade. Different one from the one I know, of course._ "Looks like you finally got the right number!"

"I'm sorry, but I don't think I know what's going on..."

"Huh? What do you mean? Don't you recognise your best pal's voice?" The male voice asked.

"'Best pal'? No, sorry. I mean, you do sound a little familiar, but I couldn't tell over the phone like this. Do I… know you from somewhere?"

"Wait… Did you actually get the wrong number AGAIN?! You're so hopeless!" The female voice said, sounding angry, and I could hear some shuffling from the phone, as well as little cries of anguish. _What on earth are they doing? Is she… hitting him?_ "Although, there's no mistaking his voice, he's definitely our Otonashi-kun." _She also sounds a bit like that pink-haired girl who can excrete acid…_

"Why did you hit me, then? I'm going to pay you back for that, you know!" The male voice said.

"Hah! Bring it on, I can take you on!" The female voice replied.

"Uhh… If you two have got nothing else to do other than fight, I think I'll end the call here..."

"Ah, wait! Otonashi-kun! If you don't recognise us, that just means you don't _remember_. Heh, kind of funny that once again, Otonashi-kun is the one who doesn't remember anything about his past." The male voice said as I was about to hang up.

"Remember..? What… do you mean? And… _once again_?" I was extremely puzzled by his statement. They were already acting weird, but what he just said was the weirdest thing so far.

"Yes! You just don't remember us, that's all. But don't worry, we'll help you! Listen to this, Otonashi-kun. This isn't the first time you've been… _alive_. But your previous life was cut short, and you died. We all met in the afterlife, and you joined the SSS to fight _Tenshi_ , but then you actually befriended her and..." The male voice began rambling on and on about… something.

"Wait! Hold on! You do realize that everything you're saying sounds… crazy. Who am I even talking to right now?" What he had said sounded like utter madness. _But… Remembering… memories… Could it be..?_

"Oh, right, we never told you, huh? We went into this whole thing just assuming you'd remember us. Well, never mind that. I'm Hinata Hideki, your best friend!" Something in me clicked as I heard his name.

"And I'm this fool's supposed girlfriend, Yui!" The female voice called out.

 _Their names… Yui and Hinata…_ Suddenly, the feeling of Déjà-vu I was all too familiar with returned. _Hinata and Yui… those names sound extremely familiar. And their voices…_ I motionlessly sat as I tried to process everything. _Does this mean… that they're like Yuri and Kanade?_ My vision got hazy, and I could feel a bit of a headache forming. I could hear voices in my head that I recognised as the ones I heard on the phone, but they were saying things that I _hadn't_ hear them say.

"Otonashi-kun? Are you still there?" The male voice now identified as Hinata asked. "What happened? Wait, oh crap! Yui! You said you charged this, right?!"

"Huh? Yeah, of course I did. Why?" Yui asked.

"It just gave me a warning that it's going to shut down soon! Darn, and just when we found the right Otonashi-kun as well. Well, at least we know his number now. We'll catch up later, Otonashi-kun!" And with that, the call suddenly ended.

I was simply dumbfounded. _Who were they? Their names sounded familiar, and so did their voices. Then again, the phone call did distort their voices somewhat, and the girl might just feel familiar because she shares her name with Kotegawa. Doesn't explain the feeling of Déjà-vu I had…_ I took another sip of my coffee as I blankly stared out the window. _And the things they said…_

 _This is only getting weirder._

* * *

I was panting as I finally entered the cafe. I didn't want to keep Yuzuru waiting, and I was honestly excited to see him again, so as soon as I had received his text, I ran all the way to La Soleil. The traffic lights slowed me down, though, so it still took a little while to get here. I scanned around the cafe and noticed a familiar shade of red in the corner of my eye, as Yuzuru stared out of the window. A smile formed on my face as I walked up to him.

"Hey, Yuzuru!" I called out to him. "Looks like you started out without me, you meanie." I said and giggled as I gestured towards his coffee cup.

"Huh? Oh, Yuri. Good to see you again." Yuzuru turned to look at me and put his cup down. His expression was thoughtful, but he also looked like he had just seen a ghost.

"What… happened to you?" I asked with genuine worry in my voice. "You look… I don't even know." I took a seat opposite of him.

"What? N-nothing, I just… received an odd… phone call." Yuzuru said and picked up his phone from the table. "I… don't even know where to begin."

"I find it easiest to start from the beginning, personally. You didn't get a death threat from the Yakuza, did you?"

"No, nothing of the sort. It was just… Does the name 'Hinata Hideki' say anything to you?"

"Hinata Hideki..." The name did sound oddly familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. "Not really. I feel like I've heard it before, or something, but that's about it. Why do you ask?"

"Well, before you arrived, I got a call from an unknown number, with the caller being someone called 'Hinata Hideki'. His girlfriend, Yui, also spoke to me in the call. They acted like they knew me, but… the feeling wasn't mutual, so to speak. Their voices sounded familiar, though, and when I heard their names, it triggered my Déjà-vu, if only slightly."

"Interesting… what did they actually say to you, though?"

"That's the weirdest part. Hinata told me that I didn't… _remember_ them, insinuating that I had once known them. Then he went on to say that apparently this isn't the first time I'm alive… if that makes sense, since it doesn't to me, and that I joined something called the 'SSS' when I was… dead, which was apparently also when I met them." Yuzuru explained to me.

"That sounds… crazy, no other way to describe it. I mean, even Kanade's 'past life' theory sounds crazy, but at least it's more believable than that. Though the 'SSS'… it… rings a bell. I feel like… I should know what it is." _SSS… where have I heard that before?_

"Ah, Nakamura-san! Kon'nichiwa! What can I get you?" One of the waitresses came to us. I recognised her as Kashou's cousin.

"Kon'nichiwa, Minaduki-san. I'll have a _Maple Tea_ , thank you." I replied to her, and she took her leave with a brief bow.

"Minaduki-san? Do you know all the people who work here?" Yuzuru asked with a chuckle.

"Not personally. Minaduki-san is Kashou's cousin. We only really know each other because I come here often. Anyway, did this Hinata fellow tell you anything else?"

"He mentioned fighting some sort of 'Angel', but that was about it. It seems his phone ran out of juice before he could tell me more, but he did say he would 'catch up' with me later."

"Hmmm… Do you think he'll call you again? If so, I'd like to hear what he has to say, if possible."

"It might just be more crazy nonsense, but who knows, maybe they are the key to solving the mystery of our Déjà-vu." As Yuzuru finished, Minaduki-san brought me my drink.

"Arigatou!" I said as I took out my wallet so I could pay for the drink.

"Ah, hold on, Yuri. I'll pay for you." Yuzuru said and fetched some cash from his own wallet. "I already bought a drink for Kotegawa-san today, and I wouldn't want you to feel left out."

"Well, isn't that rather sweet from you. Although I'll have you know it takes more than a few drinks to get into _my_ pants." I said and giggled at him while my cheeks warmed up a little, but not as much as Yuzuru's did. _Always worth it to see his flustered face._

" _Ahem._ Y-you said something about wanting to hear what Hinata wants to tell me?"

"Yes, I did. Could you maybe tell him to… I don't know, call you at a certain time, maybe? Can you arrange it in a way that I could listen to what he has to say?" Yuzuru took on a thoughtful pose for a few moments, then picked up his phone.

"I could… send him message, I guess. His number is still in my call history. And if we're both physically here, I could do what he and his girlfriend did and use the loudspeaker… Are you free tomorrow?" I slightly blushed at the word _girlfriend_ , especially in this context. _Me and Yuzuru… doing what Hinata and his girlfriend did… No! I can't be thinking of this right now!_

"Y-yeah, I should be free. Do you want to meet up here again? Or do you have another place in mind?"

"Well… I was thinking that..." Yuzuru awkwardly looked around while rubbing the back of his neck. "Something like this, especially if we're going to use the loudspeaker, might not be great to do in… _public_. W-we don't want to disturb others, right?" _Does he even realize what he's making it sound like?!_ Yuzuru looked at me with a puzzled expression as a blush rose to my cheeks, but continued nonetheless. "So… maybe you could… come over to my place? If you're okay with that, of course. I'm sure Hatsune would like if you visited, too." _HE'S MAKING IT WORSE!_ I glanced around the cafe, but luckily there weren't that many people here. However, my eyes met the eyes of Kashou, who was holding in his laughter while observing us from a distance. _Damn it, Yuzuru!_ I took a deep breath before responding

"Rather daring, asking a girl to come over to your house, isn't it? But… the way you said that… We're lucky there aren't that many people here, or they would have gotten the wrong impression about our relationship..." I laughed awkwardly while fiddling with the hem of my skirt underneath the table.

"What?" Yuzuru's eyes widened and his face became flushed as he realized exactly what he had said. "I… well… You know I didn't mean it like that. It would be a… social visit. B-but if you don't want to, that's okay too."

"I-I never _refused_ your offer, did I? And I get your point about using the loudspeaker in p-public, so I see no i-issue in coming to visit." _This is kinda embarrassing to say! It's taking all I have to keep my composure._ I fidgeted a little and cleared my throat to calm myself down. "But just know that I'll be on my guard the entire time I'm there. Can't be too careful with a pervert like you, Yuzuru." I then teased him.

"Well, that's… good to hear. We can meet up at the school gates tomorrow when my classes end, if that sounds good?" I nodded to him as an answer. "Alrighty then. I'll send a message to Hinata's number, and inform Hatsune that you'll be coming over tomorrow." He then said and started tapping away on his phone.

 _Going to Yuzuru's place huh? I'm starting to get nervous now… It'll be fine, Hatsune will be there, and we'll just get the phone call over with. It's just a normal visit to a friend, right? Although… I could use the chance to maybe… No! Hatsune probably wouldn't mind, in fact, she might_ encourage _it, but… I can't just do something like that! Too embarrassing!_ I sighed and looked out the window as I took a sip of my tea, which had cooled down substantially during our conversation. _I'm not helping my nervousness by thinking like this, am I?_

* * *

" _Tadaima!_ "

"Pardon my intrusion."

I was currently taking my shoes off at the entrance to Yuzuru's and Hatsune's apartment. Just like we had arranged yesterday, I had waited for Yuzuru outside the University gates, and then we made our way to his place together. The siblings lived in a medium-sized apartment in an apartment complex not too far away form the University. Yuzuru had told me that it was a nice distance away from both the Uni and Hatsune's High School. I was a nervous wreck, despite that fact that I had steeled myself for this for the entire day. I guessed that no matter what I did, I simply could _not_ feel nervous when visiting the home of my… _crush_. _Gaaahh! Just thinking about it makes me blush. But… I have to accept it as the truth, even if I still have a hard time believing that I would fall for Yuzuru._

"Hatsune? Are you here?" Yuzuru called out to his little sister after the lack of response.

After taking off my shoes, I followed Yuzuru to what seemed to be the living room. As I looked around, I noticed that the kitchen was adjoined to the living room, with no walls separating the two, although the floor was slightly elevated to signify the change between the rooms. The dining table was just a meter or two away from the couch that dominated the living room and a large, flat-screen TV was stationed in front of the couch, and I could even spot a game console on the TV stand. Yuzuru walked over to the dining table and picked up something from on top of it.

"What is it, Yuzuru? Where's Hatsune?" Hatsune's sudden lack of presence increased my feeling of nervousness. _She's… just taking a nap or something, right? Or on a quick trip to the convenience store?_

"It seems that she's… left us here." Yuzuru said with a sigh and lifted up a piece of paper. "She's written here that she's going to spend some time with her friends today, so the two of us can have… _alone time_ , as she put it." He continued and scratched his cheek.

"...What?" _Hatsune… You… left the two of us alone?_ I felt a blush rising to my cheeks as my mind became filled with… _imagery_ of things that can happen when two young adults are left alone in an apartment for hours. _What am I even thinking of?! None of that will happen, I'm sure of it! Not that I would mind if something like that did end up happening with me and Yuzuru… Wait, no! This is a social visit! Why am I thinking of doing such things with Yuzuru?!_

"Uhh… Yuri? Is everything okay? Your face is kinda red." Yuzuru said and took a step towards me.

"Nonononono I-I'm fine!" I quickly said and waved my hands around as I rapidly took a couple of steps forward. "I-I wasn't t-thinking of a-anything i-indecent!"

"Yuri! Watch out for the-" Yuzuru's warning came a little too late, as my foot collided with the elevated part of the floor.

As I began to fall, Yuzuru extended his hand towards me, and I barely managed to grasp it while flailing around. Unfortunately, all it did was cause Yuzuru to fall with me as he tried to catch me. I collided with him as he fell backwards and we came crashing down onto the floor, his bag being flung to the side. I closed my eyes and yelped loudly while Yuzuru groaned in pain as he hit the hard floor, with me lying down on top of him.

 _Thu-thump_

"Owwww…" I quietly groaned as I opened my eyes, only to find Yuzuru's face mere centimetres away from my own, and I felt my heartbeat becoming more rapid.

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

"Gah, you took the words out of my mouth, Yuri." Yuzuru said as he opened his eyes and assessed the situation. His eyes widened as he noticed our close proximity, and I could see a blush forming on his face. "A-are you alright?" He asked and averted his gaze.

"I-I'm fine, but what about you? I had you cushion my fall, but you weren't so lucky." I felt heat rising to my own cheeks as well, but kept my eyes on him. _I… I can't look away._

"It hurts, but I think I'm fine. The carpet lessened the impact somewhat." Yuzuru replied and brought a hand up to his head, gently touching it to check for any damage.

"I-I'm glad..." I said and sighed in relief, which inadvertently caused my hot breath to hit Yuzuru's face, causing his blush to deepen. My cheeks also became even warmer as I noticed that our breaths were colliding even without my sigh. _He's… so close…_

"G-good. N-now… um… Y-you're kinda… p-pinning me down..."

"A-am I-I?" Yuzuru gave me a small nod as an answer. It was now that I noticed that I was still holding onto his other hand, or rather, holding his wrist so his arm was pinned against the floor. Down below, our legs were tangled together, and I could feel the warmth from his entire body all over mine. _How did this happen?! It feels… kinda nice, though. His body feels so nice and warm, his flushed face is…_ cute _, and his warm breath… I… I…_ Slowly, I began to move myself closer to him. _I don't care any more. I'll just give in…_

"Y-Yuri..?" I closed my eyes and moved my face closer to his, slightly parting my lips. _This… This is it. I'll… just have to do this…_ My heart was beating faster than ever before in my life, and I could feel Yuzuru's heart beating rapidly, too. _I wonder he's experiencing Déjà-vu right now? It would make this moment… even more memorable…_

I could almost feel Yuzuru's lips on mine, when suddenly, something started to vibrate against my leg, the vibration being accompanied by a catchy jingle. My eyes shot open and I jerked my head backwards. _What… was I about to do just now?_

"Ah, I-it's my p-phone." Yuzuru said after a few moments. "I-it might be H-Hinata."

"R-right, y-yes. That's the r-reason why I c-came here." I said and quickly sat up, disentangling my legs from his. _I'm… annoyed that we were…_ interrupted _like that, but… a part of me is also relieved. Who knows how far we would have gone if I gave in to my… desires. Of course, I… would have been… okay with it, but… I have to take into account Yuzuru's feelings too. Ugh, why is romance so… hard!_

"Yeah, it's him, I recognise this number now." Yuzuru said as he took the phone out of his pocket and sat up. "We should… sit down. At the table, I mean."

"Y-yes, w-we should." A few moments ago, I couldn't take my eyes off him even if I wanted to, but now I couldn't even look at him. _This is so embarrassing! I can't believe we nearly…_ kissed _._ I thought as I stood up and straightened my clothes, before taking seat at the dining table.

"Otonashi Yuzuru. Yes, I'm here with my friend, Nakamura Yuri. She wanted to hear what you had to say to me. I'll put it on the loudspeaker, hold on a moment." Yuzuru spoke into the phone, pausing every now and then to listen to the person on the phone. "Well, he sounded excited to hear your name." He said to me as he sat down next to me and placed the phone onto the table, activating the loudspeaker.

Wait, sat down _next to me_? I felt a blush rising to my cheeks. _Why would he sit down next to me after what just happened?!_ _Okay, calm down, Yuri. Let's just focus on this phone call._

"Hello hello, can you hear us?" A male voice came from the phone. _He sounds… familiar. Is this the Hinata who spoke with Yuzuru yesterday?_

"Yes, we can hear you. I'm here with Yuri, as I already said. After I told her about our… _odd_ conversation yesterday, she wanted to hear what you want to say to me." Yuzuru said and glanced towards me.

"Oh, um, Hello. Are you… Hinata-san?" I asked.

"That voice… it really is you, Yurippe!" _What… did he just call me?_ I felt a faint feeling of Déjà-vu, though it was brief."I never would have imagined we would find you as well! Looks like Otonashi-kun was our key!" The male voice I assumed belonged to Hinata said excitedly.

"You sound a bit _too_ excited to hear the voice of another girl." A female voice said. _That must be… Yui, the girlfriend that Yuzuru mentioned._ "Maybe I should discipline you a little bit." I could hear the cracking of knuckles.

"I'm sorry, Yui! It's just that I've known Yurippe for longer than I have you, forgive me!" _Known… me? What on earth is he talking about?_

"Alright, time out, lovebirds. I can now see why Yuzuru called his conversation with you weird. First of all, why are you calling me 'Yurippe'? I don't even know who you are, so I don't think you're allowed to give me such a… _stupid_ nickname. And secondly, as I've just said, I don't even know who you are, so why did you just say that you've known me for longer than your girlfriend?"

"Good to hear your tongue hasn't lost its sharpness, Yurippe. Or rather, it's good to know you were given it again _in this life_." Hinata said and chuckled. "But judging from your reaction, you don't remember anything either, just like Otonashi-kun. But that's what we're going to help you with, right, Otonashi-kun?"

"Huh? If you mean that you'll explain everything to us, then yes. You… said some very odd things yesterday, but they did get me thinking… Could you possibly know something about our Déjà-vu? These weird… images, or… memories that we have." Yuzuru asked.

"'Déjà-vu'? Shoot, that's actually a pretty good way to describe it, how come we never came up with that? Well, never mind that. Now that you've said that, Otonashi-kun, I'll assume that you experience an odd feeling every now and then, and that you remember things that never happened, correct?"

"Well, yes, that's a way to put it. Whenever I see or hear certain things, they make me feel like I've seen or heard it before, but… in a different context, or situation. Yuri's the same, too." Yuzuru explained.

"Well, I'm sure you've thought way too much about it, but there's a simple answer to it all. We'll it's not _that_ simple, but you'll get what I mean when you remember everything. Yui and I did, at least."

"What do you mean by 'remember everything'? And you said something about ' _this life_ ' as well." I asked Hinata.

"I'm getting to that. Right, this will sound crazy, but you have to trust me on this, for I know that it's a fact. This life that you're living right now isn't your first one. At some point in the past, the people known as 'Otonashi Yuzuru' and 'Nakamura Yuri' existed, and they weren't just people with the same name, they were quite literally _you_. But, something tragic happened in your lives, and you died young. After your death, you arrived in the Afterlife, where you, Otonashi-kun, had no memory of your life, where as Yurippe did." Both of us stayed silent during Hinata's crazy story. "Are you two still there?" Hinata asked after a brief pause.

"Yes, we are. As crazy as your story sounds, please continue." Yuzuru replied. I glanced towards him, and his expression told me he was deep in thought.

"Right, so, the same thing happened to me as well. Once in the past, I lived a short life that ended in tragedy. Once I arrived in the Afterlife, I found Yurippe. Or rather, Yurippe found me right after I died. After being harassed by her for a while, we eventually founded the _SSS_ , or the _Shinda Sekai Sensen_ , because we both thought that we had lived unfair lives, and wanted to rebel against Kami-sama, not wanting to be reborn into an unjust world." As Hinata mentioned the SSS, I felt a strong feeling of Déjà-vu. _I… founded something like that with him? In the Afterlife?_ "Well, I say we rebelled against Kami-sama, but really all we did was just wage war against a single girl, who we called _Tenshi_. Over time, more and more _real_ people showed up in the Afterlife, many of them joining us in the SSS, with Otonashi-kun being one of them." Hinata paused in his story, probably waiting for our reaction.

"So… how does this tie into the… _memories_ that we occasionally have?" Yuzuru asked.

"All the things that you hazily remember, no matter how crazy those memories may be, they all happened. Either in your past life, or during your time in the Afterlife. Let me ask you this: How do you feel about… angels? Or their _wings_? Do you have any memories related to either of those things?" I was briefly reminded of the time I introduced Kanade and Yuzuru to each other, when I remember seeing a pair of angel wings on her back. _Is… he referring to that? He did say we apparently fought a girl called 'Tenshi'… wait… Didn't Yuzuru call Kanade 'Tenshi'?_

"Angel… wings? Well… for me, both angels, and angelic wings are… triggers, so to speak, for my Déjà-vu. Whenever I see something like that, I get this odd feeling..."

"There you have it then. Your… your _soul_ is remembering things that happened in the Afterlife. Because we fought _Tenshi_ there, whenever you see symbolism related to angels, your soul remembers it, but your mind _doesn't_ , resulting in a conflicting feeling. Although, thanks to you befriending her, Otonashi-kun, we found out that the girl we were calling 'Tenshi' wasn't an angel at all. She was just a human like us, someone who had died young. Her actual name was… _Tachibana Kanade_." I audibly gasped as Hinata finished his sentence. _Kanade? We… fought her in the Afterlife?_

"Wait… you just said Kanade, right? Tachibana Kanade? She was this supposed 'angel' that we fought against? What was she like? Was she… strong?" I needed answers. _If all of this really is true…_

"What was she like? Well… Otonashi-kun was the one who knew her the best out of us. She was a quiet girl. Silvery-white hair, yellow, almost golden eyes, and quite short, too. For the longest time, we fought against her because we didn't know her. And her strength? Hoo boy, she definitely was strong. Her powers were one of the reasons we believed her to be an angel. She could have easily killed many of us with her Guard Skills. Well, it's not like we could die in the Afterlife anyway." Hinata explained and chuckled.

"Kanade was… that strong? And she was called 'Tenshi'… I guess… that explains the feeling of fear I had towards her. And the wings we saw on her back when I introduced her to Yuzuru." I looked towards Yuzuru again, who sat in place with his mouth slightly agape, his gaze directed at the phone.

"Wait… the way you said that… Do you perhaps… _know_ Tachibana-san? In this life?"

"Huh? Well, yes, we do. I've known her for over a year, now, but I only introduced her to Yuzuru last week, which is also when I met him for the first time. We all have the same… Déjà-vu experiences."

"Unbelievable. The three people most influential when concerning the fates of everyone we knew in the Afterlife, and you're all together just like that! Don't tell me you've got a fourth person there too? Maybe Noda? Or Ooyama? Or perhaps even Matsushita 5th Dan?" All of the names that Hinata listed sounded familiar, but I didn't really know why.

"Well, just last Sunday, we ran into someone called Iwasama Masami." Yuzuru said, seemingly finally out of his daze. "She is also like us, as in that she's experienced simialr things."

"Iwasawa-san?! The former vocalist and guitarist of _Girls Dead Monster_?!" Yui's loud voice came from the phone. "We need to get to these guys fast! I want to meet Iwasawa and tell her that I was successfully able to continue her legacy!"

"Wow, I was only joking when I asked if you knew someone else. I guess we got four birds with one stone then. But Yui is right, we need to meet up. Judging by your reactions to my story, you haven't remembered everything that happened in the Afterlife before your reincarnation." Hinata said.

"Reincarnation?" Both Yuzuru and I asked at the same time.

"Well, duh! You've already lived and died once in the past, and after you found peace in the Afterlife, you were reincarnated. It's all thanks to Otonashi-kun, as well. He befriended Tenshi and showed us the error in our struggle. Your soul still remembers everything, you just need to listen to what it has to say."

"So… let me get this straight. If everything you say is true, then that would mean that you've 'listened to your soul', and… _regained_ your memories of everything that supposedly happened in this 'Afterlife', and you previous life before that?" Yuzuru asked.

"That's right! Of course, I was once like you, but after I met Yui, everything became clear. In fact, I'm surprised that you guys haven't regained your memories yet."

"Unnhhhh… This all just sounds so crazy..." I said and leaned back in my chair as I held onto the sides of my head. _It sounds like a plausible explanation, but… I'm having a hard time believing it. If anything, it sounds kind of like the delusions of someone with Chuunibyou syndrome…_ Suddenly, I could feel my phone vibrating in my pocket, indicating that someone was calling me. I took out my phone and saw the name 'Iwasawa Masami' on the screen. "Hold on, I'm getting a phone call from Iwasawa-san." I said and answered the call.

"Yuri!" Iwasawa shouted into my ear.

"Hey, what's up? I'm kinda busy at the moment." I replied to her and turned my gaze to Yuzuru.

"I'm sorry that I had to call you like this, but… I needed to tell you this."

"Hm? What is it?"

"I… well, I looked into getting an instrument, like Tachibana-san said, and… well, I…" Iwasawa trailed off, then took a deep breath before continuing.

" _I remember everything._ "

* * *

 **AN: I really apologize that it took me this long to update this story. As an apology, I hope you'll accept this slightly longer chapter. My next semester is starting, and I'll have a lot less free time, so most of my writing will be done on Fridays and weekends. I'll probably have to sacrifice some Anime-watching time, but I will try my best to keep my stories updated regularly! I won't make any promises, though.**


	6. Chapter 6 - Closing the Distance

**AN: Hello again, dear readers! I would like to apologize for the delay in updating this story. As I mentioned in the previous chapter's AN, my current semester is quite busy, so updating my stories will be slower. Also, when I began writing this chapter, I suddenly got a nasty throat ache, and being ill made me feel like not doing anything. So, if this came out a little late, I once again apologize for it.**

 **Now, without further ado, let's get back to this story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 6 – Closing the Distance**

"So, Onii-chan, how did it go with Yuri-san?" Hatsune asked me as we sat on the couch.

"It was… a social visit. We… got some more information about our Déjà-vu, if that makes sense." I replied to her, while my mind recalled the awkward situation that happened just before Hinata called me. As Hatsune leaned towards me, I turned away to hide the blush creeping onto my face.

"Hmmm..? Okay, I'll take your word for it. So, what was this 'new information' you got?"

I brought a hand to my chin and thought for a moment. Hatsune and I were close, even for siblings, so we never kept any secrets from one another. Due to this, I figured there wouldn't be any harm in telling her everything we learned, and so I began to retell what happened, while leaving out obviously insignificant details, such as Yuri falling on top of me. I told her everything we discussed with Hinata and Yui over the phone, and how the two of them seemed to be like Yuri and I, only that they had "regained their memories". At first, I had been sceptical to their story, but that changed when Yuri suddenly got a call from Iwasawa. Apparently, she and her family had left on a trip to Okinawa on Monday, and while she was there, she had bought herself an acoustic guitar. She told her story – on the loudspeaker, of course – about how she immediately began to play a certain… _tune_ , despite never having played an acoustic guitar in her life. As she played and played, at one point, she realized she was crying, as she remembered _everything_ that had happened to her. She told us a similar story that Hinata told us, and backed up the story that he told. Iwasawa's sudden "surge of memories" gave us proof of both Kanade's plan, and the crazy story that Hinata told us. However, Yuri and I didn't really understand everything, given that we were still "missing our memories". In the end, since Iwasawa was currently away and would only come back next week, and since Hinata and Yui lived all the way in Chiba, we decided that we would try to meet up in a week or so, in order to hopefully help us with our memories.

"Hmmm… All of that sounds like crazy talk for me, but… They're oddly convincing. At least, it sounds kinda believable, even if it sounds crazy." Hatsune said after patiently listening to my story. "What do you think, Onii-chan? You said that you didn't initially fully believe their story, right?"

"Yes, that's true. I agree with you that it does sound like a plausible explanation, but it all seems… _too convenient_ , almost. I haven't known Yuri and Tachibana-san for that long, and Iwasawa even less. For all of this to be happening… all of these mysteries being solved so suddenly after all these years… I find it hard to believe. Still, it's the best lead we've got right now, and it's a strong lead." I replied to her.

"Hmmm… Didn't Kanade-san say something about 'fate' last Sunday? Like it was pulling you all together? Maybe… Maybe that's true, and it was you meeting Yuri-san that set all of this into motion. If we assume that there's something… _special_ about you two, maybe a… connection or a relationship from that 'past life' of yours, it could mean that the meeting between you two acted as the 'catalyst' for fate, which then in turn caused all of you to meet." Hatsune took on a very un-Hatsune-like thinking pose, and I was left speechless. "What?" She pulled me out of my daze by poking me on the cheek.

"Oh, sorry. It's just… I didn't know you could be so philosophical, it just kinda surprised me." I said to her with a little laugh, while my sister pouted at me. "But you do have a point, Hatsune. Heck, what you just said sounds pretty plausible, if we believe that something like 'fate' is involved." Hatsune's face turned into a smile as she puffed out her chest in pride.

"There you have it, then. You should listen to your cute little imouto more, Onii-chan! Although..." Hatsune's smile turned into a wicked grin as she came closer to me. "You _only_ told me about what you two learned, but I'm also curious about what you two _did_ together." She said after a pause and began to poke my arm.

"W-what? I told you, it was just a social visit, an outing between friends, you could say." Hatsune's words only returned the awkward moment when Yuri fell on top of me into my mind.

"Why did you invite her over here, then? Are you sure you didn't have any… _ulterior motives_? Or maybe _she_ was the one with them, hmmmm..?" Hatsune brought her face closer to mine, trying to pry the information out of me.

"That was simply because… we wanted to discuss things with Hinata and Yui in… private. We couldn't just have a conversation as… _crazy_ as that in a public cafe. After that whole ordeal, we drank some tea and talked about things. Nothing else happened."

"Hmmm..." Hatsune studied my face for a few moments, her breath hitting my face, reminding me once again of the predicament that Yuri and I found ourselves in earlier. I kept my gaze fixated to hers, though, as averting it would undoubtedly reveal that something _did_ happen. "Alright, you do have a point. But! If you keep being like that, you'll never get yourself a girlfriend! I'm worried about your future, Onii-chan!" Hatsune finally moved away from me.

"You should be worrying about your own future, Hatsune. You still haven't decided where you want to go after High School, right?" Hatsune looked like an arrow had just been shot into her, and I could almost hear the 'thunk' sound accompanied by it.

"Onii-chan..." Hatsune said weakly and slumped down on the couch. "B-but it's a little sister's job to worry about their older brother!" _Isn't it usually the other way around, though?_ "A-and what I want to do after I finish High School has nothing to d-do with this!"

"Yes, it does. Now that the topic has gone into this direction, how are you doing in school, Hatsune?" _Thunk! Thunk!_

"Ahahaaa… You shouldn't be so cruel to your imouto, Onii-chan..." Hatsune was practically laying down on the couch now.

"I'm the older brother, I think I'm _supposed_ to be a little cruel. Now get up, you're taking up all my space." I lightly poked her in the stomach, causing her to spring back up immediately.

"Ow! So cruel, Onii-chan! Don't you have any love for your cute little sister?"

"Knowing you, you're probably meaning a _different_ kind of love right now." I said and sighed. "You're my precious little sister, but I'm not a siscon. Now get up. While you were out having fun with your friends, you've missed out on doing all of your chores for today. I did them yesterday, so it's your turn now."

"Ugh, fiiiiiiiine." Hatsune said and got up from the couch. "I thought all older brothers were supposed to be siscons..." She then muttered as she made her way to the kitchen.

"You've been watching too much Anime recently. Come to think of it, haven't you watched a lot of shows that feature little sisters? What's up with that?" _Reminds me of a certain Light Novel author who's obsessed with little sisters._ _I_ _sn't his most famous series being turned into an Anime?_ _I'll have to watch it once it airs. N-not that I l-like his b-books or anything._

"Hm? What's wrong with that? I'm a little sister myself, so I'm obviously intrigued by how we are portrayed in Anime, of course. I think _I_ should be the one asking that question, since all you seem to read nowadays are works of _that_ author. What was his name again? H… H… Hashima… something?"

" _Ahem_. I don't know what you might be referencing. Incidentally, have you been skimming through my bookshelf again? Must I remind you to not do that? And I'm pretty sure you've read his works, too!"

"Guilty as charged~! Guess we've got similar tastes, then?" Hatsune winked at me and giggled, then began to wash the dishes.

We kept throwing little quips at each other, and I felt the tension of Hatsune's question wearing off. She could be really persistent sometimes, especially when it came to my… _romantic affairs_. Or, a lack thereof, really. I found my thoughts wandering back to Yuri, and the incident that happened while she was here. _If Hinata hadn't called then… What would have happened? I think… I think Yuri might have been… trying to_ kiss _me… It might have just been because of the_ _situation_ _we were in, though. Even_ _I felt like…_ giving in _back then. That… must be it. Anyone would have been tempted to do so in that situation, even Yuri. Although… it would also be… kinda nice if… if…_

 _If it wasn't just because of carnal desire._

* * *

Thanks to the timetable I had created for myself this semester, quite a few of my Fridays were free. Today, however, was not the case. In fact, you could say it was the polar opposite, as I had more classes and lectures today than I had on any other day this week. I had asked Yuri if she wanted to hang out today, but – to my surprise – she declined the offer, saying that she apparently "wanted to see if she can find something that will help her regain her memories". I was quite disappointed about the fact that I couldn't see Yuri today, but after what happened yesterday, a part of me also _didn't_ want to see her again so soon, as things might turn out awkward if one of us brought that topic up. With my extremely long day and Yuri declining my offer to hang out, this day was going to be boring. And I was correct. Time seemed to have been moving extra slow today, as I anxiously awaited my lunch break, when I could finally have some respite. I had decided to try out if eating at the cafeteria would make any "memories" reappear, as Hinata did say that there was a cafeteria in the "Afterlife" as well. After the long wait, lunch break finally arrived, and for the first time since High School, I made my way to the cafeteria. Vending machines were situated in and around the place, but they weren't the kind you could get a drink from. Instead, after inserting the correct amount of money, you chose the kind of meal you wanted to eat, and the machine gave you a ticket for said meal. Once acquired, you could take the ticket to the cafeteria, where you would then get the type of meal you had purchased a ticket for. Of course, there were certain things that you purchase directly from the cafeteria itself, such as sandwiches. Something about the whole system caused me to experience Déjà-vu, so I had avoided the place. _Time to see if I can get some answers from this…_ As I walked past one of the meal ticket machines towards the cafeteria, familiar locks of silver hair caught my eye. I stopped and turned around, meeting the auric eyes of none other than Tachibana Kanade.

"Oh, Tachibana-san. You on your lunch break too?" I asked and walked back to stand next to her.

"Hello, Otonashi-kun." Kanade replied in a slightly monotone voice. "Yes, you are correct. Even with my busy schedule, I do still have lunch break at the same time as everyone else." She then said and pushed one of the buttons on the machine, having to tiptoe in order to reach it.

"Mind if I join you? I haven't ever eaten at the cafeteria, and I thought it might be a good way to test your theory." _This'll be a good time to talk to her about what Yuri and I found out, if Yuri hasn't already told her._

"Very well. Do you need me to explain to you how the system works, or are you familiar with it?" She asked as she took her ticket and tilted her head slightly in my direction. _Now that I think about it, she's kinda cute, but in a different way than Yuri is. Wait, why am I thinking that Yuri is cute?_

"No, I know how it works. That's probably the reason as to why I've avoided the cafeteria up until now, as I get the feeling that system itself – with the meal tickets and such – is what causes the Déjà-vu feeling." I explained to Kanade, who slightly nodded in understanding. "What meal did you get?" I then asked and peeked at the ticket she was holding.

"Mapo Tofu. It's my favourite food, and I always buy the tickets for it from this specific machine." Kanade said and displayed her ticket while pointing up at the picture on the machine. The picture had the text 'MAPO TOFU' written underneath it.

"Oh? What's it like? And is there a reason as to why you always buy it from here?"

"This is the only machine where I can reach the button." Kanade replied quietly and paused for a moment. "As for what it's like… I can't really describe it. It's really good, and has a strong flavour."

"Alright, I'll test it out, since I've never eaten it before."

I smiled at Kanade and inserted the coins into the machine, then pressed the button associated with the meal. Afterwards, we began to make our way to the counter so we could get our meals. As we joined the queue, a thought came to my mind.

"Say, Tachibana-san..." The girl in front of me turned her head slightly to look at me. "If that's the only machine you buy the tickets from, do you ever worry about them running out? Would you have to go to a different machine then?" I asked her.

"That isn't a problem. To my knowledge, I'm the _only_ person who ever orders Mapo Tofu." She replied to me calmly.

Despite her calm answer, I suddenly felt a feeling of dread wash over me. _Strong flavour… the only person who ever orders it…_ I lifted up the meal ticket and read the name of the food written on it again. _Mapo Tofu… Why do I feel like I've just walked into a lion's den…_ I swallowed as the line in front of us got shorter and shorter, until it was our time to get our meals. Kanade presented her ticket, and the lady working there smiled at her, seemingly recognising her. After Kanade had gotten her meal, it was my turn. I swallowed again as I presented my ticket to the lady, who eyed me curiously and gasped once she took the ticket from my hands.

"Say… I haven't seen you around here before. Are you… sure that you want to order this?" She asked from me hesitantly. _Huh? I'm wearing the uniform, so she has to know that I study here. That means…_

"Uh, yeah. I don't usually eat at the cafeteria, but decided to make an exception today. I've never tried Mapo Tofu, so I wanted to have a go at it, since my friend apparently likes it." I kept my cool and motioned towards Kanade, who was waiting for me off to the side.

"Well… if you really want to… But I'll warn you, Mapo Tofu is… not for everyone. You said you don't eat here, so it's probably the reason why you don't know about it. But, since you've already paid for it..." She paused and looked at me for a few moments, then gave me my meal from behind the counter. "We usually don't make many servings of this, as not a lot of people eat it, so this is the last one for the day." She said as she handed me the meal.

I nodded and said my thanks, then walked over to Kanade. She looked at me for a couple of seconds, her gaze shifting between my face and my meal, but then turned around and walked over to an empty table. As I followed her, I felt multiple people's gazes on me, and I could hear faint whispering among the crowd. As Kanade and I sat down, I could hear a familiar voice among the whispers, and I turned around to meet the piercing brown eyes of a certain Kotegawa Yui. As she noticed me, her eyes widened for a moment, and a slight blush appeared on her cheeks. I smiled a little and waved at her, but she simply turned away from me, then said something to her friends before rising from her seat and making her way over to us.

"O-Otonashi-kun. _Kon'nichwa_." Kotegawa said to me, but froze once she noticed that Kanade was sitting across from me. _That's right, unlike Yuri, Kanade hasn't actually met Kotegawa. Well, this'll be a good time to introduce them._

" _Kon'nichiwa_ , Kotegawa-san. I don't think you two have ever met. Kotegawa-san, this is Tachibana Kanade, a friend of mine I met thanks to Yuri." I said and extended a hand towards the silver-haired girl sitting opposite to me. "Tachibana-san, this is Kotegawa Yui, a… classmate of mine. Though, I guess you could call us friends, now." I continued and moved my hand towards Kotegawa.

"Kotegawa Yui-san? I think… I think I saw you briefly the day I first met Yuzuru. You were just leaving La Soleil when I arrived there." Kanade said and put a hand to her chin. "In any case, nice to meet you, Kotegawa Yui-san." She then continued and bowed briefly.

"A-ah, yes, nice to meet you, Tachibana-san." Kotegawa replied and did a small bow herself, then glanced between me and the seat next to me. I smiled again and pulled the chair back, signalling to her that it was okay for her to sit next to me. "A-arigatou, Otonashi-kun." Kotegawa said and sat down with a slight blush on her cheeks. As she sat down, I briefly felt her thigh graze mine, and I blushed a little as well. Briefly, a memory of our first meeting came to my mind, but I banished that thought quickly. _Yes… Kotegawa-san is quite a beautiful girl… and I know that all too well…_ "So… um… what brings you to the cafeteria, Otonashi-kun? Usually you eat in the classroom, right?" Kotegawa brought me out of my thoughts, thankfully.

"Oh, yeah, um..." I shifted my gaze to Kanade, who was happily chowing down her food, but lifted her gaze to meet mine. _Hold on… something about this feels… familiar. Kanade eating Mapo Tofu… I've definitely seen this before._ "Do we… tell her? If she… believes it, that is." Kanade chewed for a moment and swallowed before replying.

"I do not mind." She simply said and returned to her food.

"Believes… it? Otonashi-kun? What do you mean?" Kotegawa asked with a puzzled expression on her face.

"Well… How should I explain it… Have you… ever experienced Déjà-vu?" Kotegawa nodded to me, but kept silent, waiting for me to continue. "Okay, so you know what it's like then. Now, what I'm about to say will sound crazy, but bear with me. Me, Kanade and Yuri are all… _special_ in a way. It's difficult to explain, but… For us, the feeling of Déjà-vu isn't just some psychological miscalculation or something, instead, they are… _actual_ memories." I explained to her.

"Actual… memories? You mean… things you've forgotten?"

"I guess, but more specifically… things that… _never happened_. In this life, at least."

"'This life'? Are you saying… that they happened… in a _previous_ one?"

"That is our current hypothesis, Kotegawa-san." Kanade said. "It sounds unlikely, and it cannot be scientifically proven, but given our current circumstances, it's the most likely explanation." She explained and took another spoonful of Mapo Tofu into her mouth.

"I… see. So, does this happen every time you experience Déjà-vu? People don't experience it that often, to my knowledge." Kotegawa asked, turning back to look at me.

"Yes, it does. And, also, we experience Déjà-vu a lot more often than others. For example, I'm having the feeling right now." I paused for a brief moment, and saw Kanade's unchanging facial expression become a little more… curious? "There's something about the cafeteria and the whole meal tickets system that triggers it for me, so I've avoided eating here. Also..." I turned to face Kanade fully. "When I see Kanade eating _that…_ I get a strong feeling that I've seen it before."

"That's… interesting. And kinda creepy, too, Otonashi-kun. I would yell at you, but seeing as you put up with me doing it for so long and are still willing to be my friend, you must be a masochist." Kotegawa said and made a cute little 'hmph' sound. "But… you didn't answer my initial question of why you're here today. Y-you couldn't p-possibly have come here b-because of Tachibana-san..?" She then continued and made hurried glances towards Kanade.

"O-oh, no, that's not the case. I just ran into her on the way here. But to answer your question, I'm here today specifically _because_ this place triggers my Déjà-vu. Tachibana-san suggested to Yuri and I that we should try to seek out things that cause us to have these… memories, in case we learn anything new about it." Kotegawa nodded and let out a quiet 'I see', but went quiet after that. "Oh, yeah, speaking of which, Yuri and I found out something together yesterday. Has she… told you already, Tachibana-san?" I turned to Kanade, who was just finishing her meal.

"No, she has not. She sent me a message yesterday saying that she spent time over at your place, and that you learned something together, but didn't tell me what it was. More importantly-" Kanade was cut off by the loud sound of Kotegawa rising from her seat quickly.

"S-s-she s-spent time at y-your place y-yesterday?! S-s-shameless!" Kotegawa shouted, bringing everyone's attention to the three of us. He reaction reminded me of two awkward events between myself and two different girls, mostly due to the fact that one of those events happened just yesterday, and the other one happened with Kotegawa herself.

"C-calm down, Kotegawa-san. We just… well, since Tachibana-san doesn't know about it, I can tell both of you. But nothing 'shameless' happened, alright?" I glanced between the two girls, while also paying attention to our surroundings. I doubted that there was a single person in the cafeteria who _wasn't_ looking at us. Kotegawa also noticed the stares we were getting, and quietly sat down, looking embarrassed. Kanade glanced between both of us for a few moments before speaking up.

"Before you tell me everything, Otonashi-kun, I was saying that you haven't touched your food yet. It'll get cold soon, and I'm sure you're hungry. I will also have to admit, I am intrigued to see your reaction to my favourite food." I looked down at my plate, and she was right. Kotegawa's sudden appearance had distracted me from eating.

"Ah, you're right, Tachibana-san. Sorry, I got a bit carried away explaining things to Kotegawa-san." I took my spoon and scooped some Mapo Tofu onto it. I had _almost_ forgotten the fears I had towards the unknown meal. _Well, here goes nothing!_

"Wait..." I heard Kotegawa's voice as I lifted the spoon towards my mouth. "That's… Mapo Tofu, right? You're seriously planning on eating that?!" I glanced towards her as I put the spoon into my mouth. "It's… It's..."

" _Super spicy_."

As soon as those words left Kotegawa's mouth, my mouth was assaulted by a multitude of flavours I had never tasted before in my life. Many of them – as she had described – _extremely_ spicy. I felt like the inside of my mouth was on fire, as the spiciness of the food burned my taste buds, and everything else inside my oral cavity as well. _AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!_ I screamed in my head, having a hard time keeping it there. I carefully chewed and looked towards Kanade as I felt tears rolling down my face. I had been surprised by the food, but a second surprise came from her face, as she looked… _amused_. With a small smile on her face, she studied my carefully with her eyes. Suddenly, she took out her phone and quickly snapped a picture of me.

"I apologize for taking a picture of you. Yuri told me that I should use my phone's camera to capture moments I want to remember." Kanade said and her smile widened just a little. "I think Yuri would also want to see this picture, so if I have your consent, may I send it to her? Of course, I can delete the picture too, if you so wish." She then continued in her trademark monotone voice. _Well, it seems Yuri is slowly getting under her shell…_ I quickly swallowed and wiped my mouth slightly with a napkin, the burning sensation still present in my mouth. Although, now it was accompanied by a slightly nice aftertaste.

"Haah… I don't care what you do with the picture. I'm sure Yuri will get a good laugh out of it. But, you could have warned me about this beforehand! How can you eat that with a straight face?! Wait, don't answer. You're probably the _only_ person who can eat that with a straight face..." I said and wiped my tears with the napkin as well.

"I did say it had a strong flavour, did I not?" Kanade asked and tilted her head slightly. "It isn't suited for everyone, but I really like it."

"Well, I guess the aftertaste is pretty good..." I looked down at my plate again. _I'm going to have to eat all of this…_

"A-are you okay, Otonashi-kun? That looked like it was really uncomfortable..." Kotegawa asked with genuine concern in her voice.

"I'll be fine, I just need a drink to go along with this. I should be fine with that." I said and rose up from my seat so I could go and fetch a drink, but Kotegawa interrupted me by taking hold of my hand.

"I-I've got a d-drink here, so y-you don't have to g-go buy your own." Kotegawa said and handed me a drink from her bag. I noticed it was the same brand of green tea I had bought her on Wednesday. "I-if you don't want it, the I-I'll drink it myself. I-I just… Geez, j-just take it!" Kotegawa practically shoved the drink to me and sat back down, letting of my hand in the process. _Seems she still has trouble socializing and being true to her feelings… I wonder if she has any other friends? She was talking with people who I presume are her friends, but…_

"Hmm… Are you two..." Kanade said after throwing glances at both of us. "...In a romantic relationship?" I _almost_ saw that coming, but that didn't lessen the blow any less. _Blunt as ever… This girl…_

"W-w-w-what d-did you s-say?!" Kotegawa rose from her seat again, a bright blush on her cheeks. "O-of c-course we're n-not! I-I would n-never want to d-date someone l-like Otonashi-kun!" Kotegawa paused and averted her gaze, then continued in a lower tone. "...Not after what he's _done_ to me..."

"Uh, yeah, you heard her." I said to Kanade, a slight blush making its way to my cheeks as well. "I'm not dating anyone right now, so please refrain from asking that question every time you see me with a girl."

"I see. My apologies, Kotegawa-san. I don't have much experience in social relations with other people, so forgive me for my lack of tact. However, your reaction was interesting, as it was similar to Yuri's reaction when I first asked the same question from Otonashi-kun and her. But I think I understand the reasoning for it, now." Kanade apologized to Kotegawa and bowed briefly. _The way she worded that… What did she mean by 'understand the reasoning for the reaction'? I think just about any girl would be embarrassed and react the same way if they were asked something like that… Well, except maybe Kanade herself._

"O-oh, okay..." Kotegawa said and went quiet. The atmosphere had suddenly gotten very awkward.

"Well, I better finish this quickly so I can still have time to tell Tachibana-san about what Yuri and I learned." I said and scooped up a spoonful of Mapo Tofu. "Here goes nothing!"

Suffice it to say, eating a plate full of Mapo Tofu was _not_ a pleasant experience. I had to take a sip from my tea after nearly every spoonful to somewhat ease the spiciness. As I had already noted, the aftertaste was quite good, though, which made the whole thing a little worth it. Ultimately though, the most important thing I gained from this was the knowledge to _never_ eat Mapo Tofu again. Though with the destruction of my taste buds, I doubt I could taste anything else ever again. After surviving the event and hoping I won't get PTSD, the three of us left the cafeteria. After finding a relatively secluded bench on the University grounds, I told Kanade everything we had learned, starting from the phone call I had received from Hinata, everything he and Yui told us the following day, and Iwasawa's sudden call and following story. Kotegawa listened to me intently, though she couldn't obviously fully understand everything. However, it felt nice to have someone else other than Hatsune who understood – and _believed –_ us. After I finished, silence settled over us, as Kanade thought over everything.

"Otonashi-kun..." Kotegawa was the one who broke the silence. "I… I had no idea that something like that was… the norm for you. I would never have guessed..." She trailed off and looked down at the ground.

"It sounds crazy, doesn't it? That's what all my fri… erm… _acquaintances_ said back in elementary and middle school. Once I got into High School, I stopped talking about this stuff and tried to ignore it, but… I guess you can't ignore _fate_ for that long." I replied to her and looked upwards, inadvertently glancing at the large clock on one the buildings. _Just a few minutes of lunch break left…_

"Yeah, it does, but..." Kotegawa raised her gaze back up and looked at me. "I-I believe you, Otonashi-kun." A hint of red rose to her cheeks. "S-since I-I'm your f-friend now and all, I-I feel like I s-should do at least that m-much, right?" I smiled at Kotegawa and placed a hand on her shoulder, causing her to jump a bit.

"Thanks, Kotegawa-san. I'm really glad we can be friends, even after everything that's happened." Kotegawa returned my smile and gently placed her own hand on top of mine, which in turn caused me to blush a little, so I averted my gaze. _She can be kinda cute sometimes…_

"Otonashi-kun." After hearing her voice, I turned around to see Kanade. "You mentioned that you and Yuri planned a meeting between all of you when Iwasawa gets back from Okinawa, didn't you?" She then asked me.

"Yes, we did. Hinata and Yui live in Chiba, so they would have to do everything in advance to make it here, but Iwasawa lives here, and she'll be back next week. We thought that all of us meeting might help with returning our memories."

"Makes sense. And since Iwasawa's 'memories have returned', as you put it, my theory has been proven..." Kanade glanced towards the clock, then took out her phone. "Otonashi-kun, I would like to exchange numbers with you. It would be too inconvenient if we kept communicating through Yuri, after all."

"Oh, right. Yeah, we should do that." I took out my phone and we exchanged our contact information with each other.

"Right, I'll have to go now, I have some things to do relating to my attempts in getting into the Student Government elections, and I believe you two should have classes." Kanade said after putting her phone away and standing up. "Goodbye, Otonashi-kun, Kotegawa-san." After a brief wave, Kanade was gone.

"Well, Lunch break is pretty much over, so we should get going as well. We're still stuck with Yagami-sensei for the next two hours, right? We should hurry back." I said and stood up once Kanade had left us.

"Y-yeah, w-we should." Kotegawa said sheepishly and stood up.

We didn't speak during the trip back to the classroom, and I mostly just thought about everything that had happened recently. _I'll have to call Yuri after school and inform her that I told everything to Kanade already. We could probably start planning the meeting, too.I don't know how Hideki and Yui are going to arrive here, but we should probably meet somewhere that's easily accessible… and possibly private. I really hope meeting them face-to-face will shed some more light on things…_

"O-Otonashi-kun." I heard Kotegawa's voice from behind me, and I felt her grab onto the sleeve of my uniform.

"Hm? What is it, Kotegawa-san?" I stopped and turned around to look at her, but I couldn't see her face, as she was looking down at the floor.

"I… I-I want to… E-exchange phone numbers w-with you t-too!" Kotegawa said and shoved her phone towards me.

"Eh?" _What's this all of a sudden?_

"I-I mean… W-we're friends n-now, right? I-it's not like I-I _want_ your n-number or anything… Just that… W-we should do it s-since we're friends. I-I can like… h-help you, or s-something." I couldn't help but smile at her. _Kotegawa-san… She really does want to be my friend, huh? She and Kanade are completely different personality-wise. While Kanade was able to simply ask for my number, Kotegawa-san has a harder time, because she can't express her feelings to others. Yes…_ feelings… _No, we're just friends, she said so herself. I shouldn't look that much into it._

"Of course, Kotegawa-san." I replied to her and took my phone out as well. "This is what friends do, right? And I'd do anything to fill out my contacts, heh." I took both phones and added my number to her phone under the name 'Otonashi Yuzuru', and her number in mine as 'Kotegawa Yui'. _Nice and simple. She can change it if she wants to later._

" _A-arigatou_." Kotegawa said as she took her phone back from me. "A-also… I-I know you're on a first-name-basis with that Yuri girl, so… Y-you can c-call me by my f-first n-name, too. I-I mean… we've k-known each other for q-quite a while, so… A-and I-I'll call you by yours, too. I-if that's… okay with you?"

"Uh… yeah, sure. If… that's what you want?" Kotegawa nodded slightly to answer me. "Alright, well… If us meeting up with Hinata and the other Yui goes well, I'll probably call her by her first name as well… Actually, I don't even _know_ her family name. Anyway, but to not mix things up, I'll call you… _Yui-san_." Kotegawa flinched as I said her first name.

"..." She kept silent for a few moments, then lifted her gaze to meet mine. "That's… fine by me… _Yuzuru-kun_." She then said with a smile.

"Ah." Her expression of happiness, combined with the slight blush on her face and her using my first name caused a blush of my own to appear on my cheeks. "W-we'll be late soon, Yui-san. We should continue so Yagami-sensei doesn't yell at us."

"Y-yes, you're right."

No other words were exchanged between us the rest of the way. Ever since I had met Yuri, my life had gone under significant changes in a very short amount of time. I had met new people and created new friendships, and now, I was slowly closing the distance between myself and two girls who were previously completely unknown to me, one more so than the other.

And I can safely say that I was _happy_ that was the case. _And it's all thanks to Yuri_.

* * *

 **AN: Ding Ding! We passed the two-week mark! That's right! It took me over two weeks to update this story! Again, I apologize for this. If I hadn't gotten sick, this chapter would have probably been out nearly a week ago. I'm getting better, though, and I hope that the next chapter won't take as long as this one. If I keep to my schedule, I should be able to write and publish it in a week or so.**

 **Here's hoping that will be case! I'll see you all in the next chapter!**


	7. Chapter 7 - The Meeting

**AN: Hello again, dear readers! Not much to write about in this AN, other than maybe say that I've been struggling a little with this story. I've been brainstorming for ideas for a while now, and I've got some things that I'll add for sure, but there's still a lot I have to figure out. As you may have guessed, our main characters will be getting their memories back slowly but surely, but I haven't figured out how to do that for everyone yet. Then I also need to figure out logical ways for everything to tie into the story, of course.**

 **Before I start rambling and make the AN extremely long, let's get back to the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 7 – The Meeting**

"Yuzuru! Kanade! Kon'nichiwa!" Yuri's cheerful voice came from behind me, and I turned around in my seat to face her.

"Hey, Yuri!" I replied to her and raised my hand as she walked over to us.

"Hello, Yuri." Kanade said in her usual, cool tone, but with a small smile on her face.

"Has he called you yet?" Yuri asked me as she sat down next to Kanade.

"No, he hasn't. I'd assume that they've arrived here already, or will arrive soon. Have you heard from Iwasawa?" I in turn asked Yuri and took a sip of my coffee.

"She returned from Okinawa on Monday, as we know, and she told me that she would come meet us here before we head to that Net Cafe that she knows, where we should be able to talk in private."

"Good. So, it's just a waiting game now, huh?"

Yuri, Kanade and I were sat at our usual table in La Soleil. It was a Wednesday afternoon, and we had all decided to meet up here. For what reason? Because today is the day that Hinata and Yui would arrive here. I met up with Yuri during the weekend, and together with everyone involved, we organized a time and place to meet at. Iwasawa wanted to take a day to rest up from her vacation, as she returned from Okinawa late in the evening on Monday, and since both Kanade and I had shorter lessons in the afternoon, we figured today was the best day for our meeting. Hinata and Yui would be arriving by train, and Iwasawa knew about a great Net Cafe near the central station that would be an ideal location for the meeting. I was both excited and nervous for the meeting. On one hand, it might give us crucial insight on how to make the memories from our previous life and the Afterlife return (Which, at this point, all of us agreed on being the truth, given the evidence we had), or in the best case scenario, _actually_ make them return. On the other hand… well, we were meeting _complete_ strangers, after all. They might seem like they have information that is valuable to us, and they seemed honest, but a very small part of me was still nervous about the whole thing. I also worried if the whole thing would benefit us in any way, because that was also a possibility.

"What's the matter, Yuzuru? You look gloomy." Yuri asked me from across the table with concern in her voice, bringing me out of my thoughts.

"Oh, nothing. I'm just thinking about this whole thing. We might get all the answers we need from this, but… We also might get none." I replied to her and gripped my cup a little harder.

"Well… that's true, I guess. But, you shouldn't worry about it so much. If we learn nothing, we can just continue with Kanade's plan. It worked for Iwasawa, so it should work for us, too." Yuri said to me with a smile and took a sip the tea she had ordered. "Have you two made any progress with that, by the way?" I looked at Kanade, who tilted her head slightly to the side, then did a slow nod in my direction. _I… guess I'll start then._

"Not much, no." I said and paused for a moment. "I asked Yagami-sensei yesterday if it was possible for me to change my degree from Economics to Healthcare, but at this point in the semester, it would be impossible. I would have to quit, and then go for the entrance exams again next year and hope I can get in. I've started to eat at the cafeteria every day, but all it seems to have done is lessen the Déjà-vu feeling I get every time I go near the place, kinda like I'm… getting used to it, or something. I don't have enough leads to go by, so I don't know what else I could try." I explained to the two girls. Seeing me finish, Kanade put down her cup and wiped her mouth with a napkin.

"I'm making some progress." Kanade said and placed the napkin back onto the table. "I was able to get myself into the Student Government elections, and now it's just a matter of seeing if I win the campaign or not. Combined with my studies and everything else, it's taking quite a bit of my time, but I should be fine. What about you, Yuri?" Kanade turned towards Yuri, who flinched slightly and averted her gaze. _That reaction… Wait… could it be that…_

"Yuri… Don't tell me that you haven't… Done anything yourself?" Yuri stole small glances at me and I sighed. "I know you said that the idea sounded a little like 'becoming fate's puppets', but you did agree to it..." I said and closed my eyes while pinching my nose.

"I'm sorry!" Yuri said while clapping her hands together and bowing. "I tried to think really hard about what I could do, but I couldn't figure out anything… Iwasawa got her memories back from playing music, Yuzuru could try studying Healthcare, and Kanade's got the Student Government, but… I haven't really got anything like that. All the things that I've… _encountered_ that have triggered my Déjà-vu have been small things, and none of them have given me a particularly strong feeling, either." Yuri explained to us and started to awkwardly poking her index fingers together, which was actually kinda cute.

"That's fine, Yuri. As long as you've put thought into it, you've done enough." Kanade said to reassure her friend. "While I am saying that, I do think you should try something, at the very least. Some of the things that trigger our Déjà-vu are shared across all of us, but as has already been proven with Iwasawa-san and Otonashi-kun, we each seem to have 'unique triggers' as well, and I'm sure you're no different, Yuri."

"Tachibana-san is right, Yuri. This meeting might even be key to finding more about that, since Hinata seemed to be very familiar with you." I said, not being able to suppress the smirk on my face.

"Oh? What are you trying to say, Yuzuru? Jealous that another guy knows me better than you?" Yuri replied to my teasing with some of her own while leaning forward, resting her chin on her hands with a smirk on her face. It was a pose she often took while we were engaging in our usual banter, but I always thought that she looked so… _pretty_ when she did it.

"Accusing me of being jealous again? Maybe I should go for that too. Aren't _you_ jealous that I'm friends with other girls?"

"Fighting fire with fire, huh? Let me just destroy that counter-argument of yours. Let's see… Hatsune is your little sister, and I think even a _siscon_ like you would go that far." _Hey! Don't call me a siscon! That just simply isn't true!_ "Iwasawa-san herself said that she had no interest in you, so you'll be disappointed in that regard as well. Kanade is… well, she's Kanade, nothing much to say there. And finally, Kotegawa-san..." Yuri paused for a moment to think. "Well, you found out that she didn't actually hate you, and wanted to be _friends_ with you? Nothing more, nothing less. I think we both know what that means. To put it shortly, no, I am not jealous that you're friendly with other girls, because I know that you won't have any chances with any of them." Yuri closed her eyes and smiled as she crossed her arms under her chest while puffing it out, seemingly brimming with pride after her verbal assault.

"You don't have to put it _that_ harshly..." I said and sighed. "I get you, I get you. Although..." I smirked as I thought of a way to get back at Yuri. "...The way you phrased that makes it sound like you're saying that I have chances with _you_." I chuckled a little as I finished, and mimicked Yuri's pose. _How do you like that! Finally, I'll be able to get back at you! Although, now that I think about it, my counter does seem like it could be easily expected…_

After a few moments of silence, I opened my eyes and looked at Yuri, confused as to why she hadn't said anything yet. Her reaction was… not entirely what I had expected. Yuri looked back at me blankly, eyes wide and mouth slightly open, with a slight blush on her cheeks. Once she noticed that I was gazing back into her green eyes, her mouth closed shut and she looked away. I glanced towards Kanade, who was looking at Yuri with an intrigued expression. Her eyes met mine for a second, and she raised an eyebrow at me. _This is… Not the reaction I was waiting for. I was sure she would either say something akin to "Hah! You think you've got chances with me?", or maybe she's ridicule my thought process resulting in that, or… just… something. Complete silence is…_ _Wait…_ _Could she have actually-_ My thoughts were interrupted by a sudden ringing and a vibration coming from my pocket. I shook my head a little and took my phone out of my pocket, revealing to me that Hinata was calling me.

"Hello?" I said after picking up the call, and could briefly hear a slightly feminine voice listing out what sounded like the names of train stations in the background before I got a reply. _That sounds like an announcer, so they're probably still on the train._

"Sup, Otonashi-kun! I wanted to give you a call to let you know that we're almost there. We're all supposed to meet at some Net Cafe, right? The one Iwasawa-san suggested?" Hinata's voice came from the phone.

"Yeah, that's the plan. Me, Yuri and Tachibana-san are currently at another cafe waiting for Iwasawa-san, as she's supposed to take us to the cafe." I glanced at Yuri, who seemed to have regained her composure. _Leave it to Hinata suddenly calling to get us out of awkward moments…_

"Oh, I see. Do you know where the cafe is, then? We weren't able to find the place, yet. This city is really confusing!" _D_ _on't you two live in Chiba, which is right next to Tokyo? I don't think you're qualified to call another city 'confusing'…_

"No, I don't actually know where the cafe is, unless Yuri found out about the location..?" I looked towards Yuri, who seemed to understand what I meant and shook her head. "Which she didn't. Hmmm… Hold on a sec." I lowered the phone from my ear and placed a hand over the speaker. "Hinata says they're almost here, but they don't know where the Net Cafe we're meeting at is. Should we take a detour to the train station, or..?" I consulted Yuri and Kanade on the other side of the table.

"Hmmm..." Kanade brought a hand to her chin and thought for a few moments. "I don't think all of us have to go. If Iwasawa-san shows us to the cafe, she could then go and pick up Hinata-san and Yui-san from the station. Since they've all regained their memories, they should be able to recognise each other. Of course, we should ask if Iwasawa-san herself agrees to this first." She then said, and Yuri nodded after she finished, so I lifted the phone back up to my ear.

"We'll ask Iwasawa-san if she can go meet you two at the station, then take you to the cafe where we'll be waiting. You should know what she looks like, right?" I said to Hinata on the phone.

"Yes, we remember what she looks like, and seeing as she's also regained her memories, she should also recognise us. Alright, give me a call when you know what the plan is, Otonashi-kun! I hope we can finally meet again soon!"

"Yeah, we'll see you two soon!" After exchanging farewells with Hinata, I pocketed my phone and let out a small sigh.

"Is something wrong, Otonashi-kun?" Kanade asked and tilted her head slightly to the side. "Your sigh would indicate that you are dissatisfied with something, or maybe bored? Or there's something weighing on your mind?" She began counting the possible reasons for my sigh with her left hand, and I couldn't help but smile at her.

"I'm fine, Tachibana-san. Just that… Well, speaking with Hinata always feels like a bit of chore, you know? He seems to be very cheerful and energetic, kinda like Yuri is, but… More so, I guess?"

"Are you saying you find talking with me to be boring, Yuzuru?" Yuri cut in with a teasing tone. _Sounds like she's recovered from whatever happened before the phone call. I still can't imagine what would cause such a reaction from her, though._ "But you've always said that you enjoy talking with me… Wait, could it be… You're a _masochist_ , so you get your kicks from talking with someone you don't enjoy talking with? That would also explain why you always take my insults head on..." A devious grin made its way on Yuri's face as she paused for a moment before continuing. " _Hentai_." She couldn't hold it in any longer and began giggling.

I sighed and took a large swig of coffee from my cup, leaving only a little bit left at the bottom. _I'll let her laugh this one out. Better than going back to the awkward atmosphere of before, for sure._ Yuri and I continued to lightly joke at each other, with Kanade occasionally joining in on the conversation. It didn't take long before another familiar voice called out to us, as we were greeted by the face of Iwasawa, who had a guitar case slung over her back.

"Yo! Been a while since we've seen, huh?" Iwasawa said as she walked over to us. The way she wore her smile and the confidence in her steps gave off a vastly different feeling than the one I got when I first met her. _Did… regaining her memories… change her?_ "It feels a bit odd to see you all now, after everything that I've learned." Iwasawa's gaze shifted to Kanade. "Especially you, Tachibana-san. You were an enemy to the SSS, and while I was only part of the distraction unit, I was still very much wary of you. Although, last Thursday, when I talked with Hinata and Yui over the loudspeakers of Otonashi-kun's and Yuri's phones, Hinata did mention that after I attained peace and moved on, you did eventually become a friend of the SSS, to some degree, at least."

"Yes, Otonashi-kun said something similar, and that apparently he himself was the one who… _befriended_ me in this 'Afterlife'." Kanade replied to her, then drank the remaining tea in her cup. "But, we should talk about these things once we have all gathered. Would it be okay for you to go and meet Hinata-san and Yui-san at the Train Station after you've taken us to the Net Cafe? Hinata-san informed us that they do not know its location, and we thought that since you would know what the two of them look like, you could find and lead them to the Net Cafe." Kanade said and stood up from her seat.

"Of course Hinata would still be an idiot in this life..." Iwasawa said and sighed, then let out a little chuckle. "Yeah, I'm fine with that. I should be able to recognise Hinata, and while I can't remember interacting with Yui much back then, she'll probably recognise me. She did say that she was a big fan of me, after all."

"Alright, let's get going then." Yuri finished her drink and stood up as well, and I followed suit. "You can tell us a little bit on the way, okay?" Iwasawa nodded to her as an answer, and we left La Soleil behind.

* * *

The walk the Net Cafe was nothing but quiet. I had asked Iwasawa to tell us _a little bit_ about the Afterlife, and everything she remembered, but she had been talking non-stop from the moment we left La Soleil. But it wasn't like it was not fascinating to listen to. She told us about how the Afterlife was a place for those who died young to find peace and be reincarnated, and how I was apparently the first person to rebel against the idea of an eternal cycle of reincarnation. She told us how we began to wage war against Tenshi – Or Kanade – with weapons and equipment created out of dirt. She told us how she was part of a band called "Girls Dead Monster", which acted as a distraction group for many operations. And how she was able to find peace by singing the final song she wrote in the Afterlife. She then told us about how she bought the acoustic guitar she was carrying while in Okinawa, and the immense feeling of Déjà-vu she had from simply holding it in her hands. As she began to play the guitar, note by note, song by song, she slowly began to remember to everything that had happened to her. As she played the songs she had written in the Afterlife, all the feelings and memories associated with them allowed her to remember her previous life, and her time in the Afterlife. Before long, we had arrived at our destination. The Net Cafe didn't look too different from the surrounding buildings, but a peek through the window revealed a very unique interior. The floors and walls were made of a dark wood, and all the furniture matched them. The interior was dimly lit, with only a few leps here and there. From what I could see, the place was divided into two halves, with one side of the cafe looking very much like a traditional cafe, while the other side had areas divided by walls that didn't quite reach the ceiling. _This must be what Iwasawa-san meant when she said that this place could give us some privacy._

"Right, here we are, then." Iwasawa said as we entered the Net Cafe. "You guys can go and reserve one of the private tables for us. Each table has a laptop, but remember that using them has a fee. You can order drinks and stuff from the counter, but you're not allowed to drink them at the private tables, so that the laptops don't get damaged if an accident happens." She explained to us.

"Alright, sounds good. We'll wait her until you come back with Hinata and Yui, then." Yuzuru said.

"Yeah, see you soon!" Iwasawa turned around and left the cafe, throwing a hand up as she did.

"Let's go reserve a table." Kanade said and began to make her way towards the counter, with Yuzuru and I right behind her.

After reserving our table, one of the employees took us to our table and we took a seat. She asked us if we wanted to use the laptop and explained to us how the fee for using it was calculated. We simply said that we didn't plan on using it, and she left us in peace, reminding us that if we wanted to order anything to drink, we would have to do so in the cafe side of the establishment.

"This place has got a nice atmosphere, I have to say." Yuzuru said and stretched. "Not as great as La Soleil, though. I don't think I've ever thanked you for teaching me about that place, Yuri." He then said and looked at me.

"Oh, you don't have to thank me. I'm surprised you didn't know about the place, though, since it's so close to the University." I replied to him. "If you _really_ want to thank me, I guess you could… I don't know… buy me something nice, or something..." Only after I said it did I realize how embarrassing I made it sound, and I could feel my cheeks heating up.

"Oh, uhh..." Yuzuru looked away and scratched his cheek. "Well… If you want to… Maybe we could… go and hang out after school some day? I mean… I do really want to thank you for a bunch of stuff, not just that."

"Oh… well… I-I guess that's fine… How about… tomorrow then? We could go and… hang out." I began playing with the hem of my skirt underneath the table. _What am I even saying! Wait… Kanade is here too…_ I turned my head to look at Kanade, who looked like she was about to say something.

"Um… If you two don't mind… Could I… tag along? I've been busy with the Student Government elections and such, and in fact, there's something I need to do today after this meeting as well, but I think I could make some time tomorrow." Kanade said and glanced between Yuzuru and I. _That… Well… It does relieve some of the awkwardness that she'd be coming with us, but… I would have liked it if it was just Yuzuru and I…_

"Yeah, I don't see any problem with that. Usually we just have some drinks at La Soleil, so going shopping and such might be a nice change. At what time should we meet? My last lecture should finish at around 3 pm tomorrow." Yuzuru said, his gaze shifting between the two of us.

"I should be free whenever." I replied to him.

"Hmmm…" Kanade took on a thoughtful pose and kept silent for a few seconds before answering. "If I manage to do that today… then tomorrow I'd only have to do… Yes, I should be able to make it for 3 pm." Kanade said and nodded.

"I… guess that's decided, then." Yuzuru said with a smile and moved his gaze to meet mine. "I'll… buy you something nice tomorrow, to show my gratitude. Nothing too expensive, though."

"Y-yeah..." I replied to him and averted my gaze, then cleared my throat to regain my composure. "Right! I'll take you up on that offer, Yuzuru! And if I don't like whatever you buy me… You better know a good a doctor." I said with a playful smirk.

Yuzuru let out a little laugh, and soon were back to our usual banter. After a little while, thanks to Kanade's intervention, we moved on to discuss everything Iwasawa had told us, and what we could expect from Hinata and Yui based on that. Iwasawa had told us how the "school" in the Afterlife worked, with all the teachers and most of the student body consisting of people that weren't… well, real people. Apparently, Hinata had likened them to NPCs found in video games, and everyone in the SSS called them that. Kanade was the president of the Student Council in the Afterlife, and we fought her because living a normal student's life – something which Kanade apparently wanted the members of the SSS to do – resulted in real people "disappearing", possibly being reincarnated. Iwasawa was reincarnated before everyone else, so she didn't know what happened to the rest of us, and frankly, I was curious. _Iwasawa was reincarnated after she accepted everything that had happened to her, and found peace, but… What about the rest of us? Did the same happen to each one of us as well? And what about Kanade? She was our enemy, although Hinata did say that Yuzuru managed to befriend her… I hope he knows more than Iwasawa does…_

"Yurippe! Otonashi-kun! It really is you two! And Tenshi is with you, too!" A vaguely familiar voice called out to us, and upon turning towards the source of the voice, I was struck by a powerful feeling of Déjà-vu.

Walking towards us was a blue-haired boy with matching eyes to boot. At first glance, he seemed to be about the same height as Yuzuru. He had a large grin on his face, and was waving his hand around frantically. _Is this… Hinata? It must be him, he feels so… Familiar. Juts like Yuzuru, when I first met him. This is the person I founded the SSS with in the Afterlife? Why do I feel like I want to punch him..?_

"Oi, why are you so excited to meet Yuri, huh? Do I need to punch some sense into you?" A female voice came from behind the person I assumed was Hinata. Looking past him, I saw a small and angry bundle of pink hair rapidly making her way towards us, all the while cracking her knuckles. Once again, I was assaulted by Déjà-vu immediately upon seeing her.

"You two are… Hinata and Yui, yes?" Yuzuru asked and pointed a finger towards the two new arrivals. I looked back at him, and his face gave me the feeling that he was also having a strong Déjà-vu moment. _That's right… Hinata did say that he was apparently best friends with Yuzuru. I wonder if he's feeling anything… different now because of that._

"We are indeed, Otonashi-kun!" Hinata said while holding back Yui from hitting him. As I was looking at the scene, I could feel a headache forming, and could see flashes of… _memories_ in front of my eyes. "Man, it feels really strange, but awesome, to see you all again. It's a shame you don't remember everything like the two of us and Iwasawa-san do. We told her a whole lot of stuff that happened in the Afterlife after her disappearance on the way here." Hinata took a seat next to Yuzuru and wrapped an arm around his shoulder while leaning in closer to him. "Ahhh… I've missed this feeling, you know? Being all touchy-feely with Otonashi-kun is great, you should all try it at some point!"

"EH?! W-what d-do you mean b-by that?" I blurted out as my cheeks heated up again, and everyone's eyes were suddenly on me. "I-I mean… W-what are you doing? Y-you're being a little _too_ friendly with Yuzuru, aren't you?" I asked and crossed my arms, hoping that my blush would be interpreted as anger, rather than embarrassment from his comment. _Although, I don't think being angry at this is a good reaction either… Both would give the wrong idea._

"Uh, yeah, Yuri is right. Isn't, um, Yui your… _girlfriend_?" Yuzuru said and pried Hinata off himself. "Or do you perhaps… _swing both ways_?"

"No no, that's not it. Sorry to disappoint you, Otonashi-kun, but Yui is the only person I'll ever love! I mean, we were _fated_ to be together, given everything that happened in the Afterlife." _'Sorry to disappoint'? What is Hinata talking about? Wait… if he knows Yuzuru really well because of what happened in the Afterlife… Don't tell me… Is Yuzuru into_ that _?_

"Hinata, seriously..." Iwasawa commented with a sigh as she walked up to our table. "We aren't in the Afterlife any more, and they don't remember a thing anyway, so you should probably stop with the teasing." _Teasing? So Yuzuru doesn't actually…?_ _That's good._

" _Ahem_." Kanade cleared her throat to get all of our attention. "Since we are all here now, should we… start? It doesn't seem like any of us have regained any memories, but telling us about the things _you_ remember might help us." She then said, her gaze shifting between everyone.

"Yeah, I'm… eager to hear all you two have to tell us." I said and laid my hands back on the table, glancing at Yuzuru on the other side of the table.

"Alright. How about the three of us with all of our memories sit on this side of the table, and the three of you can sit on that side." Iwasawa said and first pointed at where Hinata and Yuzuru were sitting, then moving her hand to point towards Kanada and I.

"Sounds good to me." Yuzuru said and stood up, then made his way to our side of the table. _Wait… he's going to sit right next to me, isn't he?_ A slight blush made its way onto my cheeks again as he sat down next to me, with only a few centimetres separating us. I noticed that Iwasawa narrowed her eyes a little as she eyed me for a few moments.

"Aw, man! I wanted to sit next to Otonashi-kun! Well, I guess Yui will have to do." Hinata said and sighed as the pink-haired girl plopped down next to him and jabbed his arm with her elbow.

"What was that? Could you say that again, I couldn't quite hear you?" Yui said as she grinded her elbow against Hinata's arm. I saw Yuzuru smiling at the scene, and I found a smile of my own forming on my face as well. I shifted my gaze towards Iwasawa, who was still looking at me. Once our eyes met, though, she looked away and moved to sit down next to Yui. _Why was she... looking at me so intently?_

"Right, cut it out already, you two. I've already told the three of them just about everything I can remember, so you two should get talking as well." Iwasawa said as she sat down, taking the guitar she was carrying off her back and placing it on the floor, leaning against the table.

"Right, yes. Now, where to start..." Hinata said and took on a thoughtful pose for a few moments, before beginning to tell us about all the different things in the Afterlife.

Hinata began with his own first memories, when he woke up in the Afterlife and I was the one who found him. Together, we had founded the SSS, and became close friends in the process. He told me that he began calling me "Yurippe", because his mother's name in his previous life was Yuri, so he felt strange calling me that. I advised that he call me "Nakamura-san" from now on, unless he wanted some broken bones, to which Yui commented that I was "Finally speaking her language".

Hinata told us of the early days of the SSS, and everything that happened before Yuzuru arrived in the Afterlife. Many of the things and events he described felt very familiar, and some of them even caused brief images to appear in my head, though I couldn't remember any of them ever happening. Then he told us about the time that Yuzuru arrived in the Afterlife, and how it changed everything for the SSS. Yuzuru couldn't remember anything about his life, but still did his best and managed to become friends with everyone in the SSS, and even managing to befriend Kanade, the enemy of the SSS. Even Iwasawa was intrigued by the things Hinata said, as she had apparently disappeared from the Afterlife shortly after Yuzuru's arrival. Kanade was especially interested in what she herself had been like, though Hinata wasn't able to provide a clear answer, once again saying that Yuzuru was the one who knew her better than everyone else. Yuzuru was curious if the three of them remembered their past lives before the Afterlife, and if his little sister Hatsune had been in the Afterlife with them, to which Hinata simply said that he didn't even know if Yuzuru had had a little sister, since Yuzuru hadn't remembered anything about his own past life himself, and if he had regained any memories during his time in the Afterlife, he had apparently spoken about them. All three of them, however, did remember their past lives, all riddled with sadness. Hinata was a baseball player, and after losing an important match, he began to use drugs to help his depression, and died young in a traffic accident. Yui was paralyzed from the neck down from a very young age, and her condition eventually led to her death. Iwasawa lived a very traumatic life thanks to her dysfunctional family, but music was her escape from her depressing life. She died in the aftermath of a cerebral stroke caused by her father hitting her on the head with a beer bottle when trying to stop an argument between her parents, which left her unable to move or speak, bound to a hospital bed for the rest of her life. _All of their stories are just so… sad and depressing. Both Hinata and Iwasawa did say that the Afterlife was a place for those who died young, but… Was my life also like that? What about Kanade and Yuzuru? This just makes me more worried about them…_

"Wow, we've been talking for quite some time." Hinata said as he took a glance at his watch after Iwasawa had told us the story of her past life. "Well? Have you three remembered anything yet?"

"Not… fully, no. Many of the things you and Iwasawa told us did sound vaguely familiar, and I did have a feeling that the events you described might have happened, and some of them might even work as explanations for some of the things that act as triggers for my Déjà-vu, but… I still can't remember any of this." Yuzuru said, rubbing his foreheadas if to stifle a headace.

"Yeah, Yuzuru's right. I could see some haze imagery when you described certain things, but that was about it. All the names sounded a little familiar too, but I couldn't say for sure." I said and leaned on the table, glancing at Yuzuru.

"That's a shame, but… I hope this will help at least a little bit." Hinata said and turned his gaze towards Kanade. "How about you, Tachibana-san?"

"From your description, you didn't know much about me in the Afterlife, and didn't interact with me much, so I cannot say that I feel the same way that Yuri and Otonashi-kun do. These… 'Guard Skills' that you said I had, though… They do sound familiar." Kanade replied and placed a hand on her chin. Before anyone else could say anything, Yuzuru's phone began to ring.

"Hold on, I'll answer this quickly." Yuzuru said and took out his phone. "Unknown number? Alright… Hello?" Yuzuru said as picked up the call. "Yes, I am Otonashi Yuzuru, why do you ask? Yes, she is, why?" Suddenly, Yuzuru's eyes widened and his mouth was left hanging open as all the colour was drained from his face. _He looks like he's seen a ghost, or something. Has something… happened?_

"Yuzuru..? What's wrong?" I asked him and moved a little closer, causing our thighs and shoulders to come into contact. Yuzuru slowly turned to face me and lowered the phone from his ear.

"Hatsune… she..." Yuzuru looked like he was on the verge of crying. _Hatsune?_ "She… She's been in an accident."

* * *

I had never ran so fast in my life before. My heart was pumping blood at an extremely fast rate, but I was too preoccupied to care about my Déjà-vu right now.

Hatsune was in the hospital.

That's what the doctor who called me had said. Apparently, she had been in a traffic accident, and had been rushed to the hospital not that long ago. They had already informed our parents, but had only gotten hold of me after Hatsune's operation, since she had wanted me to know about this as soon as possible.

"Yuzuru! I know... you're worried, but... hold on a little! You're going to be in an accident of your own... if you don't slow down! The hospital is... just around the corner, we'll make it there soon." Yuri's voice came from behind me, and I stopped to catch my breath. _She's… right. The doctor said that Hatsune was awake,_ _so she's alive, at least._

"You're… right… Yuri. Sorry." I said between laboured breaths as I leaned against the metal pole of a traffic light. I could see the hospital already, these were the last traffic lights between here and there. "Thanks for… coming with me." I said once Yuri caught up with me.

"No worries. I'm… worried about Hatsune, too." Yuri replied to me with a smile.

We had to cut our meeting with Hinata and Yui short, but we promised that we'd meet up again soon, since the two of them were staying here for some time. Yuri and I had rushed directly to the first intercity train that would take us as close to the hospital as possible, and as soon as we got out, I made a run straight towards it. Hatsune was very dear to me, and hearing that she had been in an accident made me very worried. _Although… Something about going to meet my sister in the hospital is causing a strong feeling of Déjà-vu for me…_ I thought as Yuri and I entered the hospital and made our to the reception.

"Excuse me! I'm Otonashi Yuzuru, and my little sister, Otonashi Hatsune is supposed to be here at the moment, and we'd like to see her." I said to the receptionist.

"Otonashi… Otonashi… Ah, yes. Otonashi-san can be found in room 301. That's the first room in the western hallway of the third floor." She said to me after a few seconds of searching on her computer. "The lift can be found just over there." She continued and pointed to the left of us.

" _Arigatou_!" I said and made a small bow before making my way to the lift with Yuri.

"Did the doctor tell you anything specific about Hatsune's current condition?" Yuri asked as we stepped into the lift and I pressed the button labeled '3rd Floor'.

"He told me that Hatsune had been in a traffic accident, and that both of her legs were broken, but otherwise she should be fine. They're keeping an eye on her in here, just to make sure she doesn't have any other major injuries." I explained as the lift took us up two floors and we exited.

"Well, at least she isn't in a critical condition." Yuri said as we made our way to room 301. I took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Come in." The unmistakeable voice of my little sister came from inside, and I opened the door.

Hatsune was lying down in the hospital bed, with an upside-down Manga in her lap. She was covered with a blanket, so I couldn't see her legs, but I figured they must have had casts over them, given the large lumps I could spot where her feet would have been. As she looked at me from the hospital bed, with the Manga in her lap, I was assaulted by an immense feeling Déjà-vu. _There's… Something oddly familiar with this scene…_

"Oh, it's you, Onii-chan. And Yuri-san, too? Were the two of you on a date? Should I call you _onee-san_ now?" Hatsune said and smirked.

"N-no, we were not. There were o-others too." Yuri said as we approached the bed. "But, how are you feeling? You must have only just had your operation, right?"

"That's right. Once I woke up, I immediately asked if my Onii-chan had been informed, and got the doctor to call you. I hope I didn't interrupt anything~!"

"Nothing that isn't more important than you, Hatsune. Are you… Okay? How did this even happen? Can I… help you somehow? Do you need me to bring you something?" I asked as I sat down on the chair next to the bed.

"It's fine, you don't have to do anything. I'm just glad that you came here." Hatsune picked up the Manga from her lap and closed it, then smiled at me brightly. " _Arigatou, Onii-chan!_ "

At that very moment, seeing my sister like that caused… _something_ to happen. There was an immense feeling of Déjà-vu, bigger than anything before. _This… This is…_ My mind was assaulted by images, words, conversations, events, _memories_. My sister in a hospital bed just like this one, with a Manga in her hands… Myself in a bookstore, buying that very same Manga for her… Working part-time while studying… Taking my sister out of the hospital on Christmas Eve so she could see how pretty the main street of the city was… Her _funeral…_ Studying Healthcare… The train crash… _Everything_.

"Yuzuru? You look like… I don't even know…" Yuri said with concern in her voice, and as I turned to face her, I felt tears running down my cheeks.

"Onii-chan..?" Hatsune said quietly, tilting her head to the side as she saw me crying.

I turned back to face her, then leaned towards her on the bed and took her into my embrace, as the memories from my previous life I had forgotten all flooded back to me. _I… I don't want to lose you again, Hatsune._

* * *

 **AN: Finally, I've got this finished and published. I tried really hard to keep to my schedule for this week, but procrastination and video games got the better of me. This was supposed to come out much earlier this week, but alas, that did not happen. Still, I'm happy with this chapter.**

 **We are getting closer to the conclusion to this story, it might only be a few more chapters away!**


	8. Chapter 8 - The Red Thread

**AN: Hello and welcome back to this story! I took ages to start writing this, which seems to – unfortunately - be the norm for me nowadays. Once I finish one or two of my stories, I'm going to keep a little break from uploading anything, so I don't try to frantically rush updates for three stories at once, but I will still be writing. I've got two more fics planned, and two more that I've got some rough ideas for. But, for now, this fic is the one that I have to work the most on. I still need to figure out certain aspects of the story and how to incorporate them, but we are slowly getting there.**

 **Also, from now on, I'll be updating my profile whenever I start working on a new chapter for one of my stories, so keep an eye out for that if you're wondering about what I'm currently writing.**

 **Without delaying this any further, let's get back to the story! Extra long chapter this time, which will hopefully make up for the wait!**

* * *

 **Chapter 8 – The Red Thread**

"So… You're remembered everything? Just like that?"

"Not… everything, no. I mean… Yes, everything that… happened in my previous life, but… nothing about my time in the Afterlife."

"And it's all thanks to me! Aren't you going to praise me, Onii-chan?"

I let out a sigh and tightened my hold on my sister's hand, as I held back the urge to cry. _They've already seen enough of my tears today. I need to be strong._ I shifted my gaze to Yuri, who was still standing by the foot of the bed, her hands firmly gripping the hem of her skirt as her handbag laid on the floor. Her face was full of concern and compassion. Just moments ago, I was bawling my eyes out as seeing Hatsune in this state caused a surge of memories from my previous life to return to me. It reminded me of the immense sadness I remember feeling when Hatsune… _died_. Even now, just looking at her made that feeling return. _No-one should have to go through this. Knowing that someone close to you died in a previous life, while simultaneously looking at them right in the eyes… It isn't a good feeling._

"Yuzuru..? Are you… okay? You kept saying that you didn't want to _lose_ Hatsune-chan _again_. And… then you said that you… remembered everything. Did you… remember something… _bad_?" Yuri asked and crouched down to pick up the handbag she had dropped earlier.

"I'm… concerned about that as well. I mean… I still kinda think the whole thing about you remembering things in a previous life is _kind_ weird, but… I haven't got any way to disprove it, so..." Hatsune said and I glanced towards her, but I couldn't keep my gaze on her for long.

"Well… as I said… When I saw Hatsune in bed like this, it suddenly caused all of my memories to return. Well, all of the ones I had in my previous life, that is. I still don't remember anything that happened in the Afterlife."

"Okay, but… why was it specifically Hatsune-chan's state that caused this?" Yuri asked as she came closer to me, so she was standing over me.

"It's… well… in my previous life, Hatsune was… bedridden. When she was young, she was diagnosed with… something, I can't quite remember. She… she spent multiple years in hospital, and I acted as her guardian. The doctors said that they were doing everything they could, and that if only she had a donor… but… her condition only got worse, and she..." I could feel the tears beginning to fall again, and I was trembling. Yuri placed a hand on my shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"You… don't have to say any more, Yuzuru. But… it was seeing Hatsune-chan in hospital that triggered your memories to return, that much we know, and it was because you had a similar experience in your past life. But… I wonder why your memories from the Afterlife _didn't_ come back at the same time?" _Yuri… She's trying to steer the conversation in another direction…_ I felt a smile returning to my face, and I used my free hand to wipe away my tears, then placed the hand on top of Yuri's hand on my shoulder, which caused her to jump a little.

" _Arigatou_ , Yuri." I said and looked up at Yuri's confused, slightly flushed face.

"Eh? What for?" Yuri asked, her gaze shifting between me and my hand.

"For… being here. For me. For us." I replied and looked at Hatsune. The feeling of sadness washed over me, but I fought it back. _With Yuri here with me… I can be strong,_ _as long as I'm_ _with her._ "It's… good that I regained my memories, even if that wasn't all of them. Now, a whole lot of things make sense, and I understand why some things trigger my Déjà-vu." I lifted my sister's hand up in the air and moved it to rest on top of the Manga Hatsune had in her lap, while she just looked at me with a perplexed expression. "I used to buy Manga for Hatsune while she was in hospital. I sustained myself off of part-time jobs, but always made time to go and see my sister. Every time, I would bring her a new Manga. Sometimes, I would accidentally buy her the same volume, or even buy them in the wrong order, but none of that mattered. Every single time, Hatsune just thanked me with a smile on her face. I didn't realize it until Hatsune… _passed away_ , but those small moments of happiness… They were what kept me going." I felt a single tear fall down my cheek again, and I quickly wiped it away.

"Yuzuru..."

"I got depressed after her death. There weren't many people at her funeral. But then… then I realized that life wasn't over yet. Hatsune was the force that kept me living, the one who helped me, and I felt like I couldn't do anything to help her in return. That's why I began studying Healthcare, so I could become a doctor, and help those in need." I noticed Yuri's eyes widen a little, and she gripped my shoulder just a little harder. "Unfortunately… I never got around to doing that. I was on the train, on my way to my University entrance exams, and… there was an accident. The train crashed in an underground tunnel. I helped the other survivors as we waited for help, but it… _never arrived_." Both of the girls were listening to my story intently, both of them with sad looks on their faces. "Before I died… I remembered something very important." I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wallet, then took out my life insurance card, and showed both of the girls the other side of it.

"Circle the organs… that you'd wish to… donate..." Yuri read out loud, then looked at me. "Did you…?" I gave Yuri a small nod and gave the card to my sister, who inspected it closely.

"The backside of that card was always something that caused me to feel Déjà-vu, but like most things that did that, I had ignored it and pushed it to the back of my mind. Now I know why. In the last moments of my life, I gave my consent, so that after I died, my organs could be transplanted into someone else's body. That way, even if I died, I could still save someone. That way… my life had a _purpose_." Hatsune handed my life insurance card back to me, and I returned it to its place in my wallet, which I then placed back into my pocket.

"If… If I didn't know you, Onii-chan… That would all sound crazy, but..." Hatsune gripped onto my hand tightly. "It sounds like… our life was full of sadness, but… if all of that really happened, then… I want to remember everything about my past life, too. Because in the midst of all those tragic memories… you said there were moments of happiness. I want to remember all of those moments, those _feelings_." Hatsune said and smiled at me.

"We don't know if that's possible, Hatsune-chan, since you apparently have never felt Déjà-vu the same way we have. Although, since we don't the precise nature of the phenomenon… But I hope that one day you'll be able to remember all the happy moments you had with Yuzuru." Yuri said and smiled at Hatsune.

"That's nice. _Arigatou, Onee-chan!_ " Hatsune said with a devious smirk on her face. _Seriously, could she stop with this whole 'onee-chan' thing already… Yuri and I aren't like that. Though… I guess I wouldn't…_ mind it _if that was the case…_

"Eh? Y-you're welcome, I-I guess..." _That… wasn't the reaction I expected._ I turned to face Yuri, and she had a contemplative look on her face. "Hatsune-chan… say… say that again."

 _Uhhhh…. What?_

"Come again?" Hatsune seemed to be as confused as I was. _What… does Yuri mean? Does she…_ want _Hatsune to call her 'onee-chan'?_

"Sorry, I mean… Could you say that again? I only now noticed it, but… being called 'Onee-chan' feels… _familiar_ , somehow. A-as in… I don't have any siblings, so it's… odd." Yuri elaborated.

"You mean… you feel Déjà-vu when Hatsune calls you that?" I asked, and Yuri nodded.

"Yeah, that's it. Maybe… maybe I had younger siblings in my previous life, or something. So… Please, Hatsune-chan. It… might help."

"Okay… I'm not going to question whether or not you have any… _ulterior motives_ or a _subconscious need_ or _want_ to be called 'Onee-chan' by me..." Hatsune said with a sly grin, then cleared her throat.

"Onee-chan!" Hatsune said with gleaming eyes and an excited voice, and Yuri jumped a little, being caught off-guard.

"Onee-chan?" Hatsune said in a questioning tone while tilting her head. _Oh, it's going to be like that, is it?_ I glanced at Yuri's face, and could see that her cheeks had a slight tint of red to them.

"Oneee-chan~!" She said in a teasing voice, stretching out the syllables while leaning towards Yuri for added effect.

"Mou, Onee-chan!" She said in an annoyed tone and pouted, then paused for a few seconds. "Well? Did it help?"

"I, uhh…" Yuri glanced between Hatsune and I, then shook her head lightly. "Not really, no. I did constantly feel Déjà-vu, but apart from that… I… I did see some… figures, so… maybe I did have siblings in a past life, but I can't remember anything."

"Don't worry, Yuri-san! You know that there _is_ way you can have _me_ as your little sister..." Yuri's cheeks became redder, and I could feel my own heating up a little as well. Before either one of us could say anything, though, there was a knock on the door, and a female doctor with shoulder-length brown hair and green eyes – similar to Yuri's, yet slightly different – entered the room. I had to instantly avert my eyes from her, as, for whatever reason, she was dressed rather provocatively, with seemingly having very few layers underneath her labcoat.

"You two are guests of Otonashi-san, yes?" The doctor asked, and the two of us nodded to her. _Her voice sounds similar to Yuri's, somehow… She could probably pass for her mother, or maybe an older sister._ "Oh, your hair! You must be the older brother she mentioned." The doctor said and pointed towards me with a pen.

"Yes, I am. Otonashi Yuzuru, nice to meet you, and thank you for taking care of my sister." I replied to her and bowed formally. _Now that I've regained my memories, my respect for doctors has only deepened._

"And I'm Nakamura Yuri, a friend of theirs. Nice to meet you, doctor." Yuri said and mimicked my gesture.

"A friend, you say..?" The doctor said quietly and eyed the both of us for a few moments. "It's nice to meet you two as well. I am doctor Mikado Ryouko." She then introduced herself and did a little bow, which caused her more than ample cleavage to reveal just a little bit more of itself to us, so I quickly looked away towards my sister. _How is she allowed to be dressed like that?_ I saw Mikado smirk in the corner of my eye, before she turned to face Hatsune and raised her clipboard. "So, Otonashi-san, how are you feeling? The accident wasn't _that_ bad, but we still need to monitor you, in case any other problems arise."

"I'm fine, Mikado-sensei. Especially now that Onii-chan and Yuri-san came to visit!" Hatsune said energetically. _I'm surprised she didn't call Yuri 'Onee-chan', now…_

"That is good to hear." Mikado said and turned to face me. "As I said, we need to monitor your sister's condition for a while, and I'm the doctor supposed to be in charge of her. If you do not mind, Otonashi-kun, I think it would be beneficial for us to exchange phone numbers, so I can contact you directly should something happen." Mikado said and pulled out her phone.

"You think so? Well, I guess I don't mind." I replied and took out my own phone as well.

"Don't try to hide your enthusiasm, Yuzuru. I know you're excited about getting the phone number of an attractive older woman, even if it just a work number." Yuri said in a teasing voice and poked my shoulder playfully, while Mikado eyed her curiously, then looked back towards me with a smile as she turned her phone around so I could see her contact information currently displayed on screen.

"Well, I don't have a separate work phone, so this is actually my own number. Guess you're a lucky guy today, Otonashi-kun." Mikado said and let out a little giggle while I typed her contact info in, then sent her a quick mail so she could add my number to her phone as well. "You go to University, right? That means I'm not _that_ much older than you two." She then said with a wink, and I glanced at Yuri, and our eyes locked for a brief moment. "Say, Otonashi-kun. What do you study in University?"

"Oh, Economics. Although..." I looked towards Hatsune on the bed. _That's right… I wanted to study Healthcare in my previous life, and studied hard so I could_ _go to Uni and_ _become a doctor one day…_ _I could… I could use the knowledge I've regained…_ I felt a wide smile appear on my face, and turned back to look at Mikado. "...I've always had a fascination for Healthcare, and… I think… I might want to… become a doctor." I said to Mikado with conviction in my voice, and could see Yuri's eyes widen in surprise. "Now that I've seen my sister like this… I want to be able to help people. I think I've always wanted that, but… Now I know that it's something I really want to do." Yuri smiled and made a small nod towards me, seemingly understanding what I _really_ meant by 'seeing my sister like this'. _Iwasawa changed somewhat after regaining her memories, and I think I understand why, now._ _Both_ _of us might have been the same person we are now in a previous life, but the experiences we went through were vastly different, resulting in our personalities being different. I never felt this…_ obligated _to help others before._

"Huh? But… Onii-chan, I thought… Healthcare was one of things that triggered your Déjà-vu, so you avoided it like all the other triggers and went for Economics instead..." Hatsune asked and tilted her head. Only once Mikado turned her head towards her and lifted an eyebrow, did she realize what she had just said and covered her mouth quickly, her cheeks a little red from embarrassment. _Oh, Hatsune… Well, it's not like we keep it a secret, just that… No-one would believe us anyway if we told anyone about it. But now that you've gone and reacted like that… Mikado-sensei is going to think something is up…_

"Well, I'm glad to hear that, Otonashi-kun, but… What's this about 'triggering your Déjà-vu'? That sounds… _unusual_ , and I haven't heard of anything like that. Care to explain?" Mikado said and eyed my curiously.

"Well..." I turned to Yuri, who glanced between Hatsune and Mikado for a moment, then just nodded at me. "It's… complicated, but… Yuri and I will explain it to you. I'll probably come here tomorrow to see Hatsune again, so..." I glanced at Yuri again, who seemingly got my hint again.

"Ah, yeah, I should be able to come here tomorrow as well. If… If we make it part of our planned shopping trip, then Kanade could come and visit Hatsune as well. She would… also be able to help us explain… well, everything, I guess." Yuri said and twirled a strand of her hair with her fingers.

"...Alright. There seems to be more to this that I don't know of, and I'd be very interested to hear about it. Oh, speaking of tomorrow, Otonashi-san, I don't think you've been informed yet, but your parents will be coming to visit you tomorrow." Mikado said and turned to face Hatsune again.

"Oh, that's great! I haven't seen Okaa-san and Otou-san in ages! Well, this isn't the best way to see them after a while, but…" Hatsune replied to Mikado, then turned to look at me. "You should probably come here at the same time as they do, Onii-chan. You haven't _introduced_ Yuri-san to them yet, have you?" She then said with a devious smirk, while I simply sighed.

"Well, I guess it wouldn't be a bad idea. We'll need to plan our shopping trip with Tachibana-san accordingly. She did say that she could make time tomorrow so she's be able to finish at the same time as I do… I'll contact my parents today and we'll figure out a good time for all of us to come here. Does that sound good, Yuri?" I turned to face Yuri, and was met with a face of slight bewilderment, as Yuri was seemingly staring out to nothingness. "Yuri..?"

"Huh? Oh, s-sorry." Yuri stammered and cleared her throat, and I could see the slightest hint of a blush on her face. "Yeah, that sounds good. As I said earlier today, I should be free whenever tomorrow. Just give me a call." Yuri finished with a smile, and I nodded to her, while Mikado was seemingly eyeing the two of us again.

"Yuri, what do you study in Uni?" Mikado asked and crossed her arms, bringing up her ample chest, and I had a hard time keeping my eyes focused elsewhere. _She really stands out among the three women here… Hatsune is nearly flat, despite already being in High School, and while Yuri isn't small by any means, hers are nothing compared to Mikado-sensei… Wait, what the hell am I thinking?!_ I felt my cheeks heating up, and glanced at Yuri for a split second, and saw her narrowing her eyes in suspicion, before she replied to Mikado.

"Ah, I… actually don't go to Uni. I tried to enroll after High School, but I didn't get in. I've been doing some odd jobs here and there while doing some independent studying in hopes that I'll get in next year." Yuri explained and gripped onto the hem of her skirt. _I guess she still feels a little embarrassed to mention that._ "I haven't really thought about what course I'd take, probably Economics, though." She then said and glanced towards me.

"Oh, I see. This may be my biased opinion, but you should definitely give Healthcare a try. The more doctors we have, the better."

"Well… If… Yuzuru changes courses as well… I might… think about it… I-I mean… You said that if you wanted to change, you'd have to start fresh from the new semester, right?" Yuri asked, and I nodded to her. "That would mean we'd both be on the same starting line. And it would be… nice to study together, since we're… such great friends and all." Yuri was fidgeting a little the whole time she spoke, and her gaze kept flickering between me and whatever else she could focus on in the room. _She is… way too cute. I can't say that out loud, though. I get the odd feeling that she'd kick me if I did that._

"Well, I guess you're right. Although… given what… I now _know_ , we wouldn't really be on the same line, as I'd be a little ahead of you. That is, if I do decide to change courses." I replied to Yuri and glanced at Hatsune, who gave me a knowing look in return.

"That's true, I guess… But don't think for a second that I'd let myself stay behind you for long!" Yuri said and pointed her index finger at me with a challenging look on her face. Mikado smiled at our exchange and then had a look at her watch.

"Well, I believe visiting hours will be ending soon, so you two will need to leave soon. But, we'll see again tomorrow, right?" Mikado said to the two of us.

"Yeah, definitely. Thank you once again for taking care of my sister, Mikado-sensei." I said and stood up form my seat, then bowed at her.

"I'm just doing my job. Oh, and if you're seriously considering becoming a doctor, don't hesitate to give me a call. I might be able to pull some strings." Mikado said with a wink and patted me on the shoulder.

"See you tomorrow, Onii-chan! And Yuri-san! Make sure you give it your best tomorrow when you meet Okaa-san and Otou-san!" Hatsune said and waved her hand as Yuri and I made our way to the door.

"Um, yeah, s-see you then, Hatsune-chan." Yuri replied and waved to her, and I mimicked her gesture as we walked out of the door. "So..." Yuri started as we began to make our way to the lift. "That Mikado-sensei, what do you think? Although, with the way you were ogling her, I don't think I need to even ask that." Yuri said with a giggle.

"I wasn't ogling at her. All I was thinking about was how in the world is she allowed to dress like that. That has to violate _some_ rule, right?"

"Come on, Yuzuru. You're a healthy young guy, of course you'd be interested in an older woman like her." Yuri said and playfully nudged my side as we descended down to the ground floor. "Unless… Hinata _did_ say that he was 'sorry to disappoint you' when you asked if he was bi or not..."

"I am not interested in any of that whatsoever. I don't know _why_ Hinata said that, but he was most definitely not being serious."

"Hmmm… I don't know, Yuzuru. You hang out with someone as pretty as me daily, and Kanade is kinda cute too. Then you're friends with Kotegawa-san, and you can't say that she's not beautiful. That raven hair that reaches far down her back… Her long, shapely legs… The beautiful figure, and those large, _bountiful_ -"

"Okay, you can stop there. What are you trying to say, here?" I cut off Yuri before her quite _accurate_ depiction of Yui caused any… _indecent_ images to pop up in my head.

"I'm saying that you're surrounded by pretty girls, and now even Mikado-sensei, and you're not _trying_ anything. It honestly makes me a _liiiittle_ suspicious."

"That's just because I'm a decent human being with self-control. I mean… I don't _deny_ any of your statements, but…" As we exited the hospital, a cool wind washed across us, tousling Yuri's hair and skirt, giving me – totally on accident, as I just _happened_ to have my gaze there – a good look at her smooth thighs. _Damn you, mother nature! My heart won't stand it if you do things like that!_

"Alright alright, I'll take your word for it, Yuzuru. And even if you did swing that way, I wouldn't think any less of you." Yuri said and giggled as she took hold of her skirt.

I simply smiled at her and we began to make our way back to the train station. _As I said to her, I don't deny her statements at all. Yui-san is very beautiful, and I know that better than anyone else, even if both of us want to forget_ _the_ reason _for that. Kanade is definitely cute, as Yuri said, and so is Yuri herself, but in a different way than Kanade is. And now, Mikado-sensei… I would be lying if I said that she wasn't beautiful, and according to herself, she isn't that much older than us, and yet, she has the aura of a mature woman about her. Still, there's one reason I couldn't say my honest thoughts on the matter to Yuri._

 _And that's because I think she's the most beautiful girl among them all._

* * *

 _Rrrrrrrriiiiiing!_

The school bell signalling the end of the period rang loudly in my ears, shaking me awake from my half-asleep state. I let out a loud yawn as I stood up from my seat and slung my bag over my shoulder while picking up my second bag filled with Hatsune's stuff with my other hand. _I need to go get a coffee, otherwise I won't be able to stay awake for the last lecture today…_ As I began to make my way out of the classroom, I passed by Yui, who was looking at me with a concerned expression.

"Y-Yuzuru-kun? Are you okay? You've been dozing off the entire day, and you look horrible. You didn't even eat properly during lunch, did you?" Yui asked and placed a hand on my shoulder to stop me. _Her being this… considerate and…_ motherly _, almost, feels like a nice change._ I thought and smiled.

"Sorry, I've been tired all day. My little sister called me yesterday after I got home and ordered me to gather a bunch of her stuff so I could bring all of it to the hospital..." I explained and lifted the second bag I was carrying to show it to Yui.

"Wait… hospital? Has something happened to your sister?"

"Oh, yeah, I haven't told you, have I? Well, it only happened yesterday anyway. My little sister, Hatsune, was in a traffic accident yesterday, and both of her legs are now broken. Other than that, she's fine, but there's a doctor called Mikado-sensei looking after her, just in case any lingering effects of the accident show up that they didn't find in the initial check-up and operation." I explained to Yui as she picked up her own bag. "I didn't get much sleep last night, so I'm getting a coffee before the last lecture of the day so I don't pass out. Do you want to come with me?" I asked with another yawn and pointed towards the doorway.

"Oh, yeah, sure." Yui replied to me and we made our way outside of the classroom. As we did that, I heard some whispering among the people staying in the classroom, and many glances were sent our way. _Huh, I guess me suddenly being all friendly with Yui-san must seem odd. I don't mind, but I hope no weird rumours start to spread… Well, we're not in High School any more, so it should be fine._ "So…" Yui's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked towards her as she walked next to me while we made our way to the nearest vending machine. "I'm guessing you're going to go see your sister today?"

"Yeah, I am. Originally, Yuri, Tachibana-san and I planned to go out shopping today, but given my sister's condition, we decided that we'd cut out trip short and go see her as soon as possible. My parents will also want to go see her, and we planned to go there together with them, since I haven't seen them in ages anyway." I explained as we stopped at the vending machine where I first heard from Yui's mouth that she never hated me. The memory made me smile a little as I ordered a coffee from the machine.

"Oh, I see… together with them, huh..." I heard Yui say quietly as I crouched down to pick up my drink, then moved out of the way so Yui could order something as well. "Out of… _curiosity…_ At what time did you all plan on going to see your sister?" Yui asked as she ordered a green tea.

"Let's see..." I said and took a quick sip from my drink, the mere act of drinking coffee making me feel more rejuvenated already. "My parents said that they'd be able to go to the hospital at around 4, which would leave us an hour of shopping, since both Tachibana-san and I finish at three today. If… If you want to… you could come with us, you know. You're my friend too, right, Yui-san? And you haven't met Hatsune yet, and I'm sure she'd be delighted to know that I've made yet another female friend." I said with a chuckle and took another sip.

"I-I wasn't… well… I-I'll take you up on that offer, Yuzuru-kun. I-if that's okay with Nakamura-san and Tachibana-san..." Yui said and sipped her drink.

"What is okay with me, Kotegawa-san?" A familiar, monotone voice came from behind us. I turned around and saw Kanade approach the two of us. "Oh, forgive my manners. Greetings, Otonashi-kun, Kotegawa-san." She said and bowed to us after stopping just in front of us. I hadn't really paid attention to it before, but now that she was stood next to Yui, their height difference was very apparent. _Yui and Yuri are about the same height, but Kanade really is short, even compared to them._

"Oh, T-Tachibana-san. Greetings." Yui replied hastily and returned Kanade's gesture. "I was just… well… Yuzuru-kun told me about his little sister, and how you were planning to go visit her after school with Nakamura-san, and I was wondering… if it was okay if I tagged along." Yui explained and fidgeted awkwardly. _She acts a little like Yuri does, sometimes._ _I guess she feels… embarrassed about this, then? Heh, if Kanade ever acted like that, people would probably pay hundreds of thousands of Yen to see such a rare occurrence._

"I don't see any problem with it, since you're a friend of Otonashi-kun as well. I'm sure Yuri wouldn't mind it either." Kanade replied and then brought a hand up to her temple and began gently rubbing it.

"Yeah, I'm sure Yuri will be okay with it. But, what are you doing here at this time, Tachibana-san?" I asked and turned to face Kanade as I took a large sip from my coffee. "You don't usually come to this part of the building, which is why we haven't seen each other at all until Yuri introduced us."

"Oh, that's because of the Student Government. As you know, I've been very busy with it recently, in the hopes that it will make my memories return. I've just come from a meeting, and I spent a lot of time working on my campaign and stuff yesterday, so I didn't get much sleep. I've been working hard today as well, so I didn't have time for a proper lunch." Kanade replied and let out a little yawn, which was kinda cute in a way. _Oh, speaking of returning memories…_

"Oh, yeah! You'll never believe this, Tachibana-san, but I actually regained a portion of my memories yesterday!" I said excitedly, and the eyes of both girls widened a little in surprise.

"Oh?" Kanade said and tilted her head. "Go on then, I'm intrigued." She continued, and Yui nodded along with her.

"Well, you know that yesterday I rushed to the hospital as soon as the doctor called me about Hatsune's condition. When I got there, the scene I saw was nearly identical to something that had happened in my previous life, and… it just happened. Upon seeing her in the hospital bed with a Manga in her lap, all of my memories from my previous life suddenly returned to me. I won't go into too much detail, but… Hatsune was bedridden for many years in my previous life, and after she passed away, I began to study so I could become a doctor. But, when I was on my way to my University entrance exams, the train I was in had an accident, and after being trapped in an underground tunnel for a week, I died as well." While Kanade's expression didn't change at all, Yui's quickly changed into one of concern. "However… I still don't remember anything that happened in the Afterlife."

"Interesting… You'll have to tell me more about this later. For now… though… I think… I need a drink, before I get… too hungry." Kanade said and took a step towards the vending machine, stopping on front of it to lean against it. _She… doesn't look too well._

"Tachibana-san? Are you okay?" I asked and moved next to her, leaning down so I could have a closer look at her. "You look… a little pale. Well, your complexion isn't that dark normally either, but..."

"I'll… I'll be fine. As I said... I didn't get much sleep last night, and… I've been… working hard. It's only… natural that I'd feel… tired. I just… need a…" Kanade couldn't even finish her sentence, before she collapsed. My hands were full, but Yui managed to catch the smaller girl with her free arm before she hit the floor.

"Tachibana-san!" I drank the rest of my coffee as quickly as possible and threw the empty can into a trash can. Gently placing my second bag on the floor, I began to lightly shake her shoulders, but she didn't respond. "Yui, can you hold her in place for a sec?" I asked, and the raven-haired girl nodded, placing her own can of tea onto the floor so she could hold Kanade with both hands. Almost as if I had done the motions before, or I simply knew what to do, I found my other hand trailing down to her wrist to check her pulse while I held my other one in front of her nose to see if she was breathing. _I didn't quite get to study Healthcare in my previous life, but I still picked up some medical knowledge to prepare for that._

"Yuzuru-kun..?" Yui said quietly, observing my almost professional-like motions with awe.

"She's still breathing, and her pulse seems to be fine. She said that she hadn't gotten to eat a proper lunch today, and that combined with her lack of sleep and large amount of work… Anaemia, most likely. Nothing too dangerous, but we should bring her to the infirmary. Yui-san, if you don't mind, could you carry Hatsune's stuff for me? I need to carry Tachibana-san, after all." I said after examining Kanade as best I could. Since my memories have returned, my medical knowledge could be considered to be better than average, but since I never actually got around to studying it more, I wasn't an expert. _All the more reason to get her to the infirmary…_

"H-huh? O-oh, right, yeah, of course." Yui said and took the bag off the ground, along with her own drink, which she finished quickly. "I was just… wondering about your… _medical_ skills." I lifted Kanade up into a princess carry, since her body was so light.

"Oh, well, I did say that I was aiming for Medical School in my previous life, so I prepared for that. And now, since my memories from that previous life have returned… All the skills and knowledge I had have also returned." I replied to Yui as we began to make my way to the infirmary.

"Oh, I see. That makes sense. Well, it _doesn't_ make sense, but… you know." Yui stayed silent for a while, but I could see her glancing towards me as I carried the unconscious Kanade. "Hey… You… you said that she collapsed because of a lack of sleep and because she hadn't eaten properly… Are you… okay, Yuzuru-kun? You said you didn't sleep much either, and you only ate that small meal at lunch." She then asked as we got closer to the infirmary.

"I won't say I'm completely fine, but I should be better off than Tachibana-san. As I said, my quick diagnosis suggests anaemia, which can be a result of iron deficiency. Tachibana-san probably didn't eat anything today, which is probably the lead cause. And her lack of sleep combined with the large amount of work she has doen for the Student Government means that her immune system is probably weaker, so she could have also probably caught a cold, or something. Also, Tachibana-san was visibly pale, while I'm just super tired." I explained to Yui and finished with a slight chuckle.

Yui simply smiled back at me, and shortly afterwards, we arrived at the infirmary. Yui knocked on the door to announce our arrival, then opened to door and we walked in.

"Oh, hello there. How can I help you?" The school nurse asked as Yui walked in, and her eyes widened as she saw me walk in. "Oh my, I think I see the problem now."

"This is Tachibana Kanade-san, and she collapsed not too long ago. Just before she did, she told us that she hadn't gotten the chance to eat a proper lunch today, so I guess she hasn't eaten at all. She's also been working an awful lot recently, and she didn't sleep well last night. I would guess anaemia, combined with a weakened immune system and possibly a cold due to it. Pulse and breathing are normal, however." I explained to the nurse and laid down Kanade on the bed, while the nurse walked over to us and did the same checks I made when she initially collapsed.

"Well, aren't you knowledgable. Are you a Healthcare student here?" The nurse asked as she put on some plastic gloves and went back to her desk to take out a device that looked a little bit like a ball-point pen, but what I recognized as an instrument used to quickly take small blood samples from patients. _Good call. If it is anaemia, then checking her haemoglobin should yield some results._

"Actually, I study Economics, but… Well, it's a long story, but I've got some medical knowledge, and I think I might change courses at some point." I replied and backed away as the nurse took Kanade's hand and pricked one of her fingers with the instrument. "Huh, Interesting. Sorry, could you get me a band-aid? There should be some on my desk." I nodded to her and began to make my way to her desk, but was stopped by Yui standing in front of my with her arm outstretched.

"Here." Yui said as she handed me a band-aid. "I… I want to help out too." She then said and averted her gaze with a slight blush on her cheeks.

"Thanks, Yui-san." I said to her and turned around to give the band-aid to the nurse.

"Could you put it on her as well? I'll analyse the blood sample real quick." The nurse said and I nodded to her, then took Kanade's small hand into my own. _Her skin is quite soft, and her fingers are very delicate…_ I thought as I placed the band-aid over the small wound on her index finger. Kanade was still pale, but she looked quite peaceful, unconscious on the bed in the school infirmary… _Wait a moment… There's something familiar about this scene…_ Suddenly, a powerful feeling of Déjà-vu assaulted me, not unlike the one I felt when seeing Hatsune in the hospital yesterday.

"Yuzuru-kun? Are you okay?" Yui asked as I brought a hand to my temple and sat down on the chair next to the bed. "Tachibana-san did the same thing before she collapsed… A-are you sure y-you're okay?" Yui came up to me and moved my hand away to look at my face. "You're not pale, at least..."

"Sorry, Yui-san. Just that…" I moved a little closer to her face and glanced at the nurse, who was focusing on the blood sample. " _There's something very familiar about this scene, as I'm feeling Déjà-vu right now. Since I didn't know Tachibana-san in my past life… This must be a memory from the Afterlife._ " I whispered to her.

" _O-oh, I see..._ " Yui said and glanced at Kanade on the bed, then looked back at me. As soon as she did, her face became flushed and she quickly jerked her head back. "I-I… I'm going to h-head back to class now. M-make sure you come to the l-last lecture on time!" Yui said and handed the bag full of Hatsune's stuff she was carrying to me and hurried to the door. "A-and inform me if… if we can still go and see your little sister today, okay?" She asked as she stopped by the door and looked back at me.

"Yeah, I will. I just want to make sure Tachibana-san is okay first. We'll see after school!" I replied to her and raised my hand in the air, and Yui returned the gesture before exiting the infirmary. I turned to look at Kanade on the bed again, and the feeling of Déjà-vu returned. _I wonder why this of all things triggers it… Iwasawa and Hinata did tell us that the Afterlife had a school, so an infirmary most likely existed there as well…_

"Well, it looks like your amateur's diagnosis was correct. She seems to be affected by iron deficiency, most likely resulting from lack of eating. Women who haven't had their menopause yet are also more susceptible to anaemia than men, and since Tachibana-san is a young woman in the prime of her life..." The nurse explained to me as she walked back over to the bed, trailing off at the end with a mischievous grin on her face. _Is she… trying to_ tease _me? Well,_ _I'll have to disappoint her. Anything else compared to Yuri's verbal assault is nothing to me!_ After looking at me for a few seconds, then sighing in disappointment, the nurse placed a couple of things on the table next to the bed. "Well, it isn't too dangerous. When she wakes up, she should take these ferrous gluconate pills to ease her symptoms. Vitamin C helps the body absorb iron, so I'm going to go and fetch some orange juice for her to take the pills with, but she should also eat something when she gets the chance. Do you mind watching over her while I do that, in case she wakes up?"

"Fine by me. I can afford to be a little late to my last lecture of the day, and I'm sure Yagami-sensei will understand." I replied to her.

"Yagami-sensei? Oh, you'll be fine then. That old man is far too lax with his students. Well, anyway, I'll be going now. I leave her in your care for now." I nodded to the nurse as she exited the infirmary, leaving me alone with Kanade.

I glance at the clock on the wall, telling me that I still had about five minutes before the lecture started. _She should be back by then, and even if she isn't, it should be fine. Yagami-sensei is quite carefree, as she said._ I thought and looked at Kanade's sleeping form on the bed. _I still can't figure out why this would trigger my Déjà-vu, though… Hinata did say that while Kanade was our enemy in the Afterlife, I managed to befriend her._ I moved my hand and gripped hers gently, while trying my best to focus on the feeling I was getting, searching my mind for any trace of the memories from that time. _Ugh, it's no use, nothing comes to mind. I guess whatever the reason for me feeling Déjà-vu is not strong enough to cause memories to return…_ As I was watching Kanade, I felt my sleepiness return to me, and I let out a loud yawn while stretching. For whatever reason, I felt extremely… _calm_ about being with Kanade like this, and I had a hard time keeping my eyelids from shutting. _Oh, fuck it. I'll just catch a few eyefuls of sleep before the nurse comes back._ I closed my eyes and leaned backwards in the chair. _I'll just… rest my eyes for a couple of minutes…_

 _Just… rest… my eyes…_

* * *

" _You know… Kanade..." A voice… A voice that I recognise… And the person saying it… I know him..._

 _..._

" _Would you like to stay behind with me? If you stay with me, I wouldn't be lonely, even in a world like this." Stay… behind? Stay behind… where? This place that I see right now… I know it, yet I don't..._

…

" _I just… I love you. So much. I love you." I… I… I can't… answer to him… But why? Because… because I came to thank him… yes..._

…

" _What do you mean?" What… do I mean? Did I even speak? Why do I want to… thank him?_

…

" _But how do you know it was me?" I… I know why I want to thank him, now. But… How do I know this? What… what even is this?_

…

" _Kanade… Aishiteru… Let's always be together..." Yes… I… I know why, now._

" _Yes…" I… I can speak…_

" _Thank you… Yuzuru." The words come out of my mouth so easily._

 _..._

" _Thank you…. so very much… for giving me life." I feel both immense happiness and immense sadness at the same time. Happiness, for finally being able to do the one thing I wasn't able to, and sadness, for I am now forever separated from the person I love._

I slowly opened my eyes, feeling a warm and pleasant weight on my chest as I'm lying down. _What just..?_ I try to move my right hand, but find myself unable to so. Raising my head up and looking towards it, I see a form hunched over me, my right hand trapped underneath his chest, while his head is gently laying on my chest. I use my left hand to part the red-coloured bangs away, revealing the face of Yuzuru sleeping contently. I try to move my right hand again, and suddenly feel something… _familiar_.

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

There, in his chest, his heart is beating, and I can feel it clearly as my hand is pressed against his chest. As soon as I realized this, the… _dream_ I had just now returned to me. _No, it wasn't a dream._

 _It was a memory._

I found my left had gently stroking Yuzuru's head, and with each stroke of my hand, with each beat of his heart, I remembered more and more. However, names and places eluded me. All I could remember was Yuzuru, and the time I spent with him. Some of the things I recognised as things that Hinata and Yui had described to us just yesterday, but all I could see was _him_. All I could hear was _him_. His smile, his laughter, his tears, but most importantly, his _heart_.

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

Even know, his heart was beating in his chest, the organ required to keep him alive.

The very same organ that had once kept _me_ alive.

I don't know how, or when, but I knew. I knew, that once in the past, it was Yuzuru's heart beating in my chest. And it was because of this that we met in that place. That place, where I was finally able to thank him for it. That place, where he _confessed_ to me. That place, which, without a doubt, had to be the _Afterlife_.

"Well… I guess this is further proof that my hypothesis was correct..." I quietly mumble to myself with a smile and keep stroking Yuzuru's head. Suddenly, I hear the sound of a chair being moved, and as I look in the direction of the sound, I am faced with the person I recognise as the school nurse.

"Oh, Tachibana Kanade-san! You're awake! You were brought here by the young man with the red hair after you collapsed as a result of anaemia. I believe the girl who was with him called him 'Yuzuru-kun'." The nurse said as she made her way over to me. Hearing her call him 'Yuzuru' suddenly caused a heat to rise to my cheeks. _Is… Is this what they call a 'blush'? I haven't felt like this before._ "Oh, being all touchy-feely, are we?" The nurse then said with a smirk after noticing that I was stroking Yuzuru's head. "If you want to, I can leave you two _lovebirds_ at it." _'Lovebirds'? Oh, she thinks we're romantically involved, which isn't true. Although… the mere thought of it…_

 _I think I know now what Yuri feels like._

"Um, I believe you might be mistaken, Sensei. Yu… _Otonashi-kun_ and I aren't in such a relationship." I replied to her and – somewhat reluctantly – pulled my hand away.

"Is that so? Is he with black-haired girl then? They seemed to be on a first-name basis, at least."

"I asked the same question from the two of them not too long ago, and their answer was no. Otonashi-kun is not dating anyone at the moment, though I fail to understand as to why you would be interested in such information."

"Just curious, is all~! You seemed to enjoy being so… _physical_ with him, at least. If he isn't dating anyone..." The grin returned to her face as she leaned in closer to me, and I averted my gaze as I felt my cheeks heat up again. _These feelings… I've never had them before. No, that's not right, I_ have _had them before, but now… they've returned._ "Well, in any case, you should drink this." The nurse said and handed me a glass of orange juice. "I've put some ferrous gluconate pills in here, since your blood sample showed clear signs of iron deficiency, which combined with your lack of sleep and overworking yourself led to you collapsing in the first place." She explained, then glanced at my right arm, which was still underneath Yuzuru's body. "Do you need help drinking it? It might be a bit dangerous with just one hand, unless you want your friend to wake up by having orange juice splashed onto him." I gave a slight nod as an answer, and she helped me drink down the orange juice. "Alright, you can stay there for a while to let the iron get into your system, but you'll also need to eat something. After that, you need to go home and rest, in case you've caught a cold." I nodded to the nurse again, and she went back to her desk.

I looked back at Yuzuru, who was still asleep, and I couldn't help but smile. _Something… something like this happened in the Afterlife as well, which is most likely why it caused my memories to return. Or, at least a part of them. Anything to do with Yuzuru, I can remember clearly, but nothing else._ I moved my right hand as much as I could so it was closer to his chest so I could feel his heartbeat better. It made me feel… _calm_ and _safe_. _But… those memories are the only ones that matter. After all… I made those memories with the person who once gave me life. With the person I loved, and whom I still love._ I felt my smile growing, and I briefly pondered if I had ever been this openly expressive about my own happiness before. _It must have been_ fate _that brought us together again._

* * *

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

 _This feels… familiar. Familiar, yet… unknown. This heartbeat is… I don't recognise it, yet… it feels somewhat familiar to me. Wait, how can I even recognise a heartbeat in the first place?_

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

 _I can see… something. It's… Kanade. She's in the bed of the infirmary, sleeping, or unconscious. And… I'm there? How can I see myself? And… I'm sleeping on Kanade's chest? Is this… Is this a memory? A memory of something… from the Afterlife?_

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

 _Now… I'm looking Kanade in the eyes. She's awake, but I'm still laying down on her chest._

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

 _This one… This one I know. This is… my own heartbeat. But… my ear is pressed against Kanade's chest, so… why can I feel my own heartbeat? This… doesn't make sense. Kanade is smiling at me. She said something, and I replied to her. I can't hear what we're saying, though._

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

 _Everything fades away into fog, and a new place, a new memory is presented in front of me. Kanade and I are… embracing each other, while tears are streaming from my eyes. I say something, again and again, and I can feel an immense feeling of… something. What is this feeling? Suddenly, Kanade is… gone, and I'm left alone._

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

 _I… I don't remember everything clearly, and everything begins to fade into fog… But there's a figure in the fog. A figure… of a girl. I know her. It's Yuri. The fog clears, and now Yuri is embracing me, while I'm on the ground on my knees. For some reason… I feel like… this isn't right, but at the same time, it is. If this is a memory… Then Yuri wasn't there, originally. She holds onto me tightly, and the feeling I felt when I saw myself embracing Kanade returns. No, the same feeling doesn't return, but rather… a similar feeling appears. The feeling makes me feel overjoyed, but… in the distance, almost completely obscured by fog… I see Kanade._

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

 _This is… a different heartbeat. It isn't my own, and it wasn't the one that felt familiar, yet unknown. It's a new one, a different one. Hearing it… it's very close by, but I cannot see anything. Only darkness, with a single, thin, red line cutting through it all. The line wavers and moves, and I can see that it originates from… my little finger? I peer further into the darkness, and I see the red line split into two. A choice._

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

 _The new heartbeat returns. The red line begins to pull me in one direction, and suddenly, I know what the feeling I felt when seeing Kanade and Yuri was._

 _It was love._

 _Bzzzzt! Bzzzzt! Bzzzzt!_

A vibration coming from my pocket stirred me awake from my sleep. I didn't want to leave the comfort of my pillow, though, so I just reached into my pocket to pull out whatever infernal device was interrupting me sleep this time. I groggily opened one of my eyes and momentarily saw something golden glimmering in front of me, gazing into me, before the digital screen of my mobile phone obstructed my vision. After a few moments, I could make out the name "Yuri" on the screen.

"Yuri..? What's she calling me for now..." I mumbled and answered the call, closing my eyes and snuggling against my pillow as I brought the phone to my ear. "Hello?"

"Yuzuru! Where the hell are you?" Yuri's loud voice came from the speaker, and I had to momentarily pull the phone away from my ear. "I've been trying to contact you for a while now, but you haven't looked at my messages. Even Kanade doesn't respond to me calling her. Are you alright?"

"Huh? What do you mean, Yuri?" I asked and opened my eyes again, meeting the curious gaze of an auric-eyed girl in front of me, her arm outstretched towards my head.

"We were supposed to meet after you and Kanade finished school today, remember? I've been waiting for you two for about twenty minutes already. At this rate, we won't have any time to shop before we all go and see Hatsune-chan."

Suddenly, I realized the current situation, and the fact that whatever I was leaning my head against _wasn't_ a pillow. After a few more moments of my brain trying to piece everything together, I quickly pulled myself upwards, as I realized that I had been laying my head on Kanade's chest the whole time.

"A-ah, right, s-sorry. I-I kinda fell asleep, since I didn't get enough sleep last night." I replied to Yuri and glanced around, confirming that I was still in the infirmary with Kanade, though the nurse was nowhere to be seen, so only the two of us were here. _And I was… sleeping on top of her chest… That's… awkward…_

"Fell asleep? What, in the middle of your lecture? Come on, not even I think you'd be capable of doing that. And that still doesn't explain as to why both you and Kanade are late, or why she won't answer the phone." Kanade eyed me curiously during my phone conversation, then brought her right hand to her chest and… _smiled_.

"Oh, ummm… Let me explain. But first, you said you waited for me for twenty minutes, so… what time is it, exactly?"

"Half past three, which means your last lecture should have ended half an hour ago, and the two of you should have been here twenty minutes ago, as we promised. So, care to explain?" A feeling of dread washed over me as I realized that I had slept through the entirety of my last lecture of the day. _Crap. Yagami-sensei is very lax, but… And then there's Yui-san… Oh, no, she must be pissed! Although, she also might be very worried… either way, it's not going to end well for me, I'd guess._

"Alright, well… Just around when my previous lecture before the last one ended, I ran into Tachibana-san, who collapsed from anaemia shortly afterwards. I took her to the infirmary, and… well, fell asleep myself. It seems that the nurse here didn't bother waking me up, so… I'm sorry." I explained and looked back at Kanade, and there was something about seeing her that made me feel… _odd_. I quickly shook the feeling away, though. "Oh, yeah, and I talked with Yui-san today as well, and she was wanting to come with us to the hospital, although… Now that it has been half an hour already, I doubt she'll still be around."

"Hmmm… I'll take your word for it, this once. I doubt you'd make up a story like that. Is Kanade okay, then?"

"Hold on, she's here next to me." I said and lowered the phone from my ear. "How are you feeling, Tachibana-san? Oh, and do you know where the nurse went?" I asked Kanade, who had been gazing at me the entire time.

"I'm feeling well now, Yuzuru, but the nurse advised for me to stay put for the rest of the day, so I don't think I'll be able to go visit your sister today. As for the nurse, she's currently fetching my bag from where I left it, so I can call for someone to come pick me up." Kanade replied, and I nodded to her. _Wait… Did she just… call me by my first name?_ Hearing Kanade call me by my first name so… _casually_ caused something to tick in me, and I could feel the odd feeling returning, so I quickly resumed the conversation with Yuri.

"Kana… _Tachibana-san_ is fine, but she doesn't think she'll be able to come with us." _Why… Why did I suddenly almost use her first name as well? And this odd feeling won't go away… Could it be… Déjà-vu? It feels a little different, though…_ "Where are you right now? We need to hurry if we want to make it to the hospital by the time my parents get there."

"I'm on my way to the University, actually. If you could get your butt down here quickly, we might make it to the next train. Although… That does mean you'll have to take me shopping some other day." Suddenly, hearing Yuri's voice seemed to _strengthen_ the odd feeling I had.

"Alright, I'll make my way to the gates once the nurse returns, and I'll try to get in touch with Yui-san as well."

"Hmmm… We'll probably miss the train, but… Okay, I'll see you soon, then."

"Yeah, see you soon." And with that, I ended the call and proceeded to have a look at my unread messages. _Let's see… three from Yuri, and two from Yui-san. Yuri was asking about my whereabouts, but Yui-san… Seems like she was worried because I didn't come to the lecture, and then assumed that I was still in the infirmary. Her second message is more recent, and says that she had an errand to run, and would be waiting in La Soleil so we could go see my little sister together._

"Um..." Kanade's voice caused me to lift my gaze from my phone, and I pocketed it as I gazed into her auric eyes. _And now, this odd feeling returns…_ "Yuzuru, I… I think I may have regained some of my memories." As soon as she said that, the feeling I had became stronger, and I could faintly remember… _something_. _Wait.. I… I had a dream when I was asleep just now… Or was it a dream?_ "I… I remember the two of us… in the Afterlife… and… your _heart…_ and… we… _embraced_..." I could see Kanade's cheeks growing redder by the second, and I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

"Embracing? My… heart? What do you..." I could feel a headache forming, and my vision got hazy as an image of Kanade and myself embracing came into my mind. _This was… the dream I had…_ My phone vibrated in my pocket once, and I fished it out to see a text from Yuri saying that she'd be by the school gates soon, and that she'd taken Yui with her from La Soleil, where she had apparently noticed her drinking some coffee. _Yuri… we… we embraced as well…_ I closed my eyes, and in the darkness, I saw the red line again, splitting into two. _The dream I had… that was no normal dream… it was some… odd combination of memories and… something else…_ _like a sign_ _. There was… a choice. No, there still is a choice…_ I opened my eyes and saw Kanade still looking at me, and her expression had a hint of concern on it.

"Yuzuru..? Do you… Do you perhaps… remember… as well? The time that… we spent together, and… the things we said… Our… _feelings_?" I slowly stood up from my seat. _I… I don't, but… What I do know, is that…_ _I definitely feel something that wasn't there before. Or perhaps, it was, ever since I met Iwasawa for the first time, and… maybe even longer than that. And these feelings… I can't speak of them, or else it will hurt not only myself, but someone else as well._ The door to the infirmary opened, and the nurse entered the room carrying Kanade's bag with her. _But one thing is certain._

 _These feelings… they are feelings I have towards Yuri and Kanade. And they are_ romantic _feelings._

* * *

Kotegawa and I stood outside the University gates for a good five minutes without really saying anything, until Yuzuru appeared. When he saw the two of us, he stopped in his tracks for a moment, and once his eyes met mine, he averted his gaze with a blush and made his way over to us, then hurried us along so we could make it to the hospital in time. Kotegawa scolded Yuzuru for falling asleep and missing the lecture, but then started fussing over him and worrying about if he was okay, as if she was his mother. Meanwhile, I was simply perplexed by Yuzuru's reaction to seeing us. _What… What was that about? The only times I've seen Yuzuru blush are when I tease him, but never spontaneously like that._ _It's almost like… he's blushing because he's… looking at his_ crush _, or something. But that would mean…_

"Yuzuru." I said as we stopped at the red lights, waiting to cross the street so we could board the train that would take us to the station near the hospital. "Are you okay? Did something happen before you came to us?" Yuzuru flinched a little when I asked him the question.

"Well… That's what I've been trying to say to Yui-san this whole time. The little nap I had has me feeling more energized than I did earlier today, so I'm more than okay!" Yuzuru replied enthusiastically and let out a little laugh along with it. But I could tell that enthusiasm was fake.

"Yuzuru… I know something is up, don't try to hide it. You've been avoiding looking at me this entire time, and even your conversation has been… _weak_. You can… you can talk to me, Yuzuru." _There has to be something weighing on his mind. Something happened while he was in the infirmary with Kanade._

"I… well…" Yuzuru rubbed the back of his neck and sighed, while Kotegawa looked at him with a curious expression. "When I was asleep, I… I saw… _something_. It was a dream but… it was different. And after that… I think… I think I may have recovered another small part of my memories. Although… they're hazy. And… Tachibana-san said to me that she recovered some of her memories as well, from the Afterlife. Before we could discuss, though… I left, since I want to go see Hatsune, and Tachibana-san called someone to pick her up, so I… didn't want to disturb." Yuzuru explained to us, and the light went green. "The light's green, we should go."

It was obvious Yuzuru wasn't telling everything. And… his explanation didn't really explain as to why he was suddenly acting like this. And it wasn't like him to just… _leave_ things like that. _I would assume that if he recovered some of his memories, and if Kanade did too, he'd want to talk about them. Unless… those memories that he recovered… made him uncomfortable, somehow. If Yuzuru won't tell me anything…. I'll need to ask Kanade._ We stayed silent as we made our way to the train and took our seats, with Kotegawa and I sitting down next to each other and Yuzuru opposite of us. He seemed to be deep in thought, and kept stealing small glances at me. It made me feel a little flattered, honestly, but I couldn't enjoy the feeling to its fullest, nor could I tease him about it. _Not with all these thoughts swirling in my head._ As the electric, ever so slightly feminine voice began to list out the name of the stop we were supposed to get off at, I took out my phone and sent a quick message to Kanade. _"_ _Yuzuru is acting weird. Did something happen? He said that he might have regained some of his memories again, but didn't tell us about them. He also mentioned you recovered some of your memories from the Afterlife. Would you mind telling me something?". Right, that should do it._ I finished sending the message just as the train stopped, and we exited the train and began to make our way to the hospital.

"Right, so..." Yuzuru said as the hospital came into view. "This… might be a little awkward, since my parents are there as well. But, I'll introduce you two. And Hatsune hasn't met you yet, Yui-san, so you two will have to make introductions as well. Oh, yeah..." Yuzuru explained and then turned to face me, for the first time in a long while. "What… should we do about Mikado-sensei? She wanted for us to tell her about… you know." Yuzuru kept his gaze on me for the entire time, so it seems that he managed to get control over whatever was bothering him.

"Hmmm… I guess we could still tell her, even without Kanade here with us. Although… as you said, your parents will be there as well. Do they… know about your Déjà-vu?" I asked

in response to him.

"You know… they actually don't. I think I've spoken to them about it when I was little, but they disregarded it as just a kid's imagination, and I think I did too, for a while. Hatsune is the only one in my family who I've been able to openly talk with about it." Yuzuru said and brought a hand to his chin as he looked up at the sky. The 'thinking pose' made me giggle a little, which caused both Yuzuru and Kotegawa to look at me with a curious expression.

" _Ahem_. So, are you ready to tell them about it? Will they even believe it? It's hard to give proof about all this for someone who doesn't experience it, after all. And then there's…" I paused for a moment and contemplated on whether or not I should mention the unease Yuzuru had after recovering a part of his memories in the infirmary, since he had just gotten over it. _It might make him feel awkward again… Oh, fuck it._ "...Well, I understand if you don't want to talk about it, but… I can tell that whatever you remembered in the infirmary made you feel uneasy. Are you… willing to even talk about your Déjà-vu with those feelings?"

"Feelings…" Yuzuru repeated the word and let out a sigh. "I'll be fine. I… I thought about the things I… _learned_ during that short train ride. I won't talk to anyone about them yet, and I… I want to regain all of my memories before that. I'll try to not let them get in the way of our everyday interaction, though. No matter… no matter how hard that is." He said as we arrived at the hospital. _Did he… remember something… traumatic? He has all of his memories from his past life, so this must have happened in the Afterlife… This just makes me want to regain my own memories even more…_

The three of us made our way to the reception and informed the receptionist that we were her to see Hatsune again, and she informed us that her parents, as well as doctor Mikado were also there. _The room will be packed… Oh, wait, right! I'm meeting Yuzuru's parents! How could I forget about that detail?!_ I glanced at Kotegawa as we entered the lift – which also was quite packed, having the three of us in it – and wondered if she was having the same thoughts as I was. _I'm fairly certain Kotegawa-san also has feelings for Yuzuru… I've known that she's my romantic rival for quite some time now, and thought that I've had the upper hand, until now… She's also on a first-name basis with Yuzuru, and we're meeting his parents at the same time…_ Before I knew it, we were standing at the entrance to room 301, and I could hear muffled voices coming from within.

"Alright, I'll go in first, and you two can follow after. My parents will no doubt question your presence, so just introduce yourselves, okay?" Yuzuru said, and the two of us nodded to him. _Huh, it seems he's as nervous as I am…_ Yuzuru took a deep breath and knocked on the door to announce our arrival. Shortly afterwards, the door opened, revealing Mikado on the other side.

"Ah, it's Otonashi-kun and Nakamura-san. Welcome! And I assume you're the 'Kanade' that the two of them mentioned yesterday, yes?" Mikado said and gestured towards Kotegawa.

"Um, actually… I'm Kotegawa Yui, nice to meet you. I'm… Yuzuru-kun's friend and classmate." Kotegawa introduced herself to the doctor with a bow.

"Oh, another friend of yours? My, aren't you popular with the ladies, Otonashi-kun. But, if that's the case, what about this 'Kanade', then? I believe you called her 'Tachibana-san', right?" Mikado was now looking at Yuzuru, and I peeked past him inside the room, where I saw someone standing at the foot of the bed where Hatsune was lying down on, their gaze directed towards the bed. _Must be one of the parents… Looks too tall and manly from this far to be woman, so it must be Yuzuru's father, then._

"Yes, Tachibana Kanade is her name, a student at the University like me. Our plan was to have her come along, but… She collapsed from anaemia earlier, and was tired from overworking herself, so she had to pass. Yui-san came with us in her place, as she hasn't met Hatsune yet." Yuzuru explained to Mikado, who gave an understanding nod to him. "Could we… come in, now?"

"Right, of course. You parents are already here. They're just talking with Hatsune-chan now. Please, come in." Mikado said and made her way back into the room, gesturing for us to follow her. As we entered, I pulled on Yuzuru's sleeve and brought his face closer to mine so I could whisper to him.

" _What is it?_ " Yuzuru whispered to me.

" _Are we going to tell Mikado-sensei about our Déjà-vu, with your parents here?_ " Yuzuru thought for a brief moment, then shook his head.

"Otou-san! Okaa-san! It's been a while!" Yuzuru announced his entrance with a wave as he walked into the room, getting the attention of the man standing at the foot of the bed and the woman sitting in the chair next to it – his parents. _Okay, Yuri. Calm down, and don't fuck it up. First impressions are everything._

"My boy Yuzuru! It certainly has been a while!" Yuzuru's father replied and walked over to us, placing a hand on Yuzuru's shoulder. He was wearing a suit, and was only slightly taller than Yuzuru, but in contrast to his reddish hair, his father's hair was dark brown. His eyes were the same colour as Yuzuru's, though, both being burgundy in colour. "Oh, and what's this then? Have you finally found yourself a girlfriend?" He then said and looked at me, and I could feel his gaze lingering on me as he sized me up. Despite being somewhat prepared for a comment like that, I still felt my cheeks heating up slightly.

"Oh, um… We're… not like that, otou-san. She's a friend of mine I met not too long ago, and we're practically best friends, now." Yuzuru explained and nudged me slightly, as if to signal for me to say something.

"N-nice to meet you, Otonashi-san. My name is Nakamura Yuri." I introduced myself with a bow, then heard some shuffling behind me as Kotegawa came up next to me.

"A-and I'm Kotegawa Yui, a friend and classmate of your son's." Kotegawa said and mimicked my gesture, and out of the corner of my eye, I could see Hatsune raise an eyebrow, before making a little 'ah' sound. _Right, Yuzuru must have mentioned Kotegawa-san at least a couple of times to Hatsune-chan._

"I don't believe it… The day that my son introduces not just one, but _two_ pretty girls to me has finally come! I don't whether or not I should happy for my son, or jealous of him..." Yuzuru's father said and let out a sigh. _Oh, I sense an opportunity to tease Yuzuru~!_

"Oh, but that's not all. Initially, Yuzuru would have come here with _three_ girls, but unfortunately, Kanade wasn't able to make it today. Then there's Iwasawa-san, who is also somewhat of a close friend, so you can really count on your son being extra popular with the ladies~!" I said and playfully nudged Yuzuru's side with a giggle, while he just laughed awkwardly with a slight blush on his cheeks.

"Oh, you sneaky devil, Yuzuru! Leading on so many girls with the looks you inherited from your father… Now, just remember that while your mother and I would be delighted about the idea of _grandchildren_ , just don't go out making too many at once, alright? I mean, that's… what, four kids? We had enough trouble with two!" Yuzuru's father laughed and patted his son on the shoulder, while I was barely keeping my composure intact, though I couldn't suppress the blush on my cheeks. _C-children… with… Y-Yuzuru… Gah! Bad thoughts! Not right now! Though I wonder what they'd look like… Stop it!_ I looked at Kotegawa, who had seemingly lost all bodily function, as she was staring off in to the distance, the blush on her face deepening with each passing moment. _I… think I can guess that she didn't handle that joke as well as I did…_

"Oh, come on now, dear. Don't tease the kids that much." Came a voice from my right, as the woman sitting down next to Hatsune stood up and made her way over to us. "We haven't even introduced ourselves yet, have we? My name is Otonashi Tomoyo, but you can just call me Tomoyo-san. It's a pleasure to meet friends of my son." Yuzuru's mother introduced herself and did a small bow with her head. Tomoyo's long, red hair reached far down her back, and her purple eyes gazed directly into mine from behind a pair of black-rimmed glasses. Compared to her husband, she was wearing much more casual clothes.

"I guess I'm going next, then. Nice to meet you, Nakamura Yuri and Kotegawa Yui. My name is Otonashi Jurai. I hope my son hasn't caused any trouble for you two." Yuzuru's father introduced himself and threw his hand up with a chuckle, his gaze shifting between Kotegawa and I.

"Oh, Yuzuru's _always_ causing nothing but trouble. I don't know how he manages when I'm not around. Although, at school, he's got Kotegawa-san keeping him obeying orders." I said and nudged Kotegawa with my elbow to bring her out of her trance.

"H-huh? O-oh, r-right. _Ahem_. Yuzuru-kun does often v-violate the regulations at our Uni, but he's i-improved recently." Kotegawa said after being brought back into this world.

"I'm glad that Yuzuru has managed to make some friends. I was getting a little worried, since he used to spend his teenager days all by himself, or with Hatsune. Speaking of our daughter… you two came here with Yuzuru to see her, right?" Kotegawa and I nodded in response to Tomoyo, who suddenly bowed to the two of us. "Thank you, both for being friends with my son, and for being concerned about the well-being of my daughter."

"I-it's no problem, n-no need to go that far." I said and laughed awkwardly as a blush made its way onto my cheeks. _I… I guess this counts as a good impression? Still, having an older woman bow to me in respect… and it's Yuzuru's mother, no less…_

"Okaa-san! Otou-san! _Mou_ , you're hogging my visitors all to yourself!" Hatsune's voice came from the bed, and all of us let out a little chuckle at her. "Kotegawa-san! Onii-chan has talked about you, but this is the first time we've met, right? My name is Hatsune, thanks for always taking care of my onii-chan!"

"Eh? M-me? T-taking care of Yuzuru-kun? W-well… I-I guess..." Kotegawa said sheepishly and made her way over to the bed.

"Well, now that the introductions are gone, I would like to have a word with the Otonashis regarding their daughter, so we'll leave you youngsters here, alright?" Mikado said, and Yuzuru's father nodded to her. "And I believe you two have something to talk to me about as well, yes?" She then continued and looked at Yuzuru and I.

"Ah, right… about that..." Yuzuru said and rubbed the back of his neck while glancing between his parents. "If it's okay with you, Mikado-sensei… We could… talk about it at a later date? Something… _relating_ to it has come up, and… with my parents her as well..." Tomoyo eyed her son curiously, and looked like she was about to ask him something.

"No worries, Otonashi-kun. You have my phone number anyway, so we could even discuss it over that, or perhaps over a cup of coffee? And if your friend, Tachibana Kanade is needed for that, then..."

"Well… it's not like she's _needed_ , but… I'll… contact you at some point about it, okay?" Mikado nodded in response and lead Yuzuru's confused parents away from the room, the door closing behind them with a soft 'clack'.

"Aren't you glad, Yuzuru? You just scored yourself a date with an attractive older woman~!" I said with a giggle and poked Yuzuru's cheek, and he simply sighed in return.

"You and Tachibana-san will be there too, so I wouldn't really call it a date… Unless you want to decipher it as such despite that..." Yuzuru replied to my teasing with some of his own. _I guess that means he's mostly gotten over whatever was troubling him earlier._

"Hm? And how should I decipher that, then? Maybe… Maybe it's a date invitation for me?" I replied with a smirk.

Yuzuru's reaction, however, was not what I expected. I could see a faint blush on his cheeks, and he quickly averted his gaze from mine. _I… I guess that means that he_ hasn't _gotten over whatever was troubling him, then… But… if he remembered a traumatic event from the Afterlife, why would he react like this? It's almost as if… Wait… That's right… he's_ embarrassed _because I insinuated that! Does that mean…_ The awkward silence between us, as well as my thoughts, were interrupted by the vibration of my phone.

"Ah, hold on, I'll check what this is real quick." I said and took out my phone, while Yuzuru took the opportunity to make his way to Hatsune. _Oh, it's a message from Kanade._ The message was too long to be shown on the lock screen, so I unlocked my phone and opened the message, which was soon displayed on the digital screen of my phone.

 _"Hello Yuri. I apologize for the late reply to your message."_

The message began in a way that was common for Kanade, being overly polite and formal.

 _"I do not know if Yuzuru regained any memories, but I know I certainly did."_

 _Wait… she's using his first name. Why is that? She's always called him 'Otonashi-kun'…_ The minor detail caught my attention, but I continued onwards.

 _"I'll assume Yuzuru didn't tell you anything, so I'll explain. Earlier today, I collapsed after a meeting I had relating to the Student Government elections, and Yuzuru was the one who carried me to the infirmary. When I regained consciousness, I found him asleep, with his head on my chest. My right hand was trapped underneath his chest, where I could clearly feel his heart beating."_

 _He… He what? That…_ might _explain why he was acting so awkwardly, if he was feeling embarrassed about that, but…_

 _"This may seem like an insignificant detail to you, but… It means everything to me. His heartbeat… it allowed me to regain my memories, or at least some of them. I now remember a lot of things that happened in the Afterlife, all of them having one thing in common with them. They were all memories where Yuzuru was present, one way or another."_

 _Yuzuru was present? His… heartbeat allowed you to remember these things? I… What?_

 _"As it turns out… we became rather close in the Afterlife. So close, in fact, that… something we believed to be impossible back then happened. Love manifested into the Afterlife."_

 _Love? Close? Don't tell me…_

 _"You've told me of your feelings towards Yuzuru, and… I think I now understand your feelings perfectly, for I… also have those feelings, now. Or, rather, I've always had those feelings, for the longest time, I just haven't remembered them. And… since all of my memories have to do with Yuzuru, and our time together in the Afterlife… I also know of his feelings. If Yuzuru has regained his memories..."_

I looked away from my phone, my hands trembling, and I saw Yuzuru talking with Hatsune and Kotegawa. Our eyes briefly met, and he instantly averted his gaze with a slight blush on his cheeks. I looked back at the phone to read the last portion of the message, before the tears started falling from my eyes.

 _"...then that means that he remembers how he loves me, and how through my soul, and his heart, we are bound by fate to be together."_

* * *

 **AN: Fucking finally. I'm really sorry for the wait on this chapter. Exam week is just starting for me, so I'll be busy studying, and most likely won't have much time to write, so you can expect the next chapter to be a little while away. But, by the time I start working on the next chapter, exam week will most likely be over. In any case, I hope you all liked this extra long chapter to make up for my long absence.**

 **Until the next time we meet, take care, my dear readers!**


	9. Chapter 9 - Unveiling the Past

**AN: Welcome back everyone! I'm finally back to this story. Exam week is over, and I've got plenty more free time to write. Changing Fate is still the story I'm having to work the most on, and I find myself spending more and more time brainstorming with each chapter. While this does delay updates somewhat, it's a necessary evil, as it does allow me to come up with some great things for the story. I've got the conclusion largely figured out, but I just need to come up with a way to get to it logically.**

 **But, I've kept you all long enough. Let's get back to the story!**

* * *

 **Chapter 9 – Unveiling the Past**

"So, what are we going to do about this?"

"Is that not what we came here to discuss?"

I sighed and looked out the window, gripping the warm cup of coffee tightly with my hands. The all-too-familiar backwards letters reading out " _La Soleil_ " in a fancy font seemed to stare right back at me, and the I found my gaze wandering over to the small heart in the logo, located just between the two French words. _Love, huh? Why does it have to be so… complicated..._ Contrary to the name of the cafe, the sun was not visible in the sky, as thick clouds obscured everything, not letting any part of the beautiful blue sky through for us mere mortals to see. I averted my gaze from the window, looking directly into the eyes of the girl sitting opposite of me, her hands gripping onto her cup as tightly as mine were.

"Well… you're right, but… we haven't said anything since coming here." I said to the girl and turned my gaze downwards, staring into the dark depths of the coffee, seeking the right answers from within. _I few days ago I would have merrily drank this all in one go, but… I don't even know why I ordered it, now._

"My apologies for that. It's just… after yesterday… my thoughts – no, my _feelings –_ have been a bit of a mess, and I felt… _awkward_ meeting you." She replied to me and gazed into her own choice of beverage as well, the awkward silence once again falling upon us for a few seconds.

"Who would have thought… That after the time we've spent together, we would both fall for the same guy we met randomly for the first time in our lives not too long ago…" I raised my gaze from my coffee and sighed again. _This is like something straight out of a high school romcom Anime… Well, minus the whole 'we've all supposedly met before in the afterlife and have been reincarnated, or something like that' thing..._

"Well, I guess… that's true for you, Yuri. I, on the other hand… have had these feelings for Yuzuru for a long time. They were just… _awakened_ yesterday." Kanade replied to me, and for a moment, I thought I heard… _arrogance_ in her voice.

"Oh, yeah? Why don't you tell me _more_ about how _great_ it is that you two are… _fated to be together_? Is that how you put it?" I snapped at Kanade, letting out the anger towards her I didn't know I had, then regretted not being able to control myself immediately afterwards, as a wave of guilt washed over me for raising my voice against my best friend. "...Sorry, I didn't mean that. I just… I don't know what to do..." I buried my face into my palms and leaned forward, a few stray strands of hair threatening to take a dip into my coffee.

"Ah, no, I'm sorry. I… shouldn't have said it like that." Kanade said quietly and shrunk in her seat. "But… um… so… what should we do about this situation, then?" She then continued and I lifted my gaze to meet hers again.

"Well… Okay, let's… recap first. You told me a little about it in the text message you sent to me yesterday, but… what exactly did you remember?" I lifted my cup to my lips and took a sip. The coffee had already cooled down substantially, but it was still warm enough to drink.

"Hmmm… I think… most of my memories from the Afterlife, but definitely not all of them. All of the memories have Yuzuru in them, with the first one being… him asking me if I'm an angel, then proceeding to ask if he can die or not, to which I answered by stabbing him through the chest." Kanade said as she brought a hand to her chin, taking on a thoughtful pose.

"That sounds… interesting, to say the least. So, what else? What was the whole thing with his heart all about?"

"Oh, that. Well… I think… it might have been in my previous life, but… Yuzuru gave his heart to me, so that I could continue living. Or… more likely, his heart was transplanted to me. And that's the reason as to why we met in the Afterlife, because I wanted to thank him for that." Kanade brought her hand down to her chest and smiled.

"So… Yuzuru was your donor, then? It… makes sense, since Yuzuru told us that just moments before he died… in his previous life, of course, he gave his consent for all of his organs to be donated to others after his death. Do you… remember anything else from the Afterlife? Anything about me, or Iwasawa-san? Or maybe Hinata or Yui?"

"Not really, no. Only memories where Yuzuru is present, and even then… everyone else in the memories seems… _hazy_. I think… I think I may recognize you from a few memories, but I'm not sure. Sorry that I can't really be of any help." Kanade carefully lifted her cup now as well, then blew into it before taking a small sip from it.

"You're helping out enough, Kanade." I said to her with a smile, taking another sip of coffee before continuing. "Now… you did mention that… Yuzuru, he… _l-loved_ you..." I said and awkwardly averted my gaze. The mere thought made me both embarrassed and _jealous_ at the same time.

"Yes, I did. It's because… well, my last memory from the Afterlife is finally being able to thank Yuzuru, and him saying 'I love you' over and over again while holding me tight. It is… both a happy memory and a sad memory at the same time, but… I know that his feelings were real, and I know mine are too." Kanade let a smile grace her face as she gazed outside the window. _I… I don't want to hear anything more, as it pains me, but… at the same time… I can't help but wonder how it felt, how_ she _felt, and wanting to know more…_

"Well, now I know what made Yuzuru so uncomfortable yesterday. You see… he told Kotegawa-san and I that… he had recovered another part of his memories. I think… I think he remembers that he loved you..." Kanade turned to face me, and her eyes widened while a slight blush made its way onto her cheeks.

"Then… that means..."

"But… there's something else to it as well. Because… Yuzuru was acting odd around me as well. I noticed it yesterday, as his sudden change in behaviour was so obvious that even Kotegawa-san noticed it." Kanade tilted her head slightly in confusion, urging me to continue with her expression. "He was acting… like he was talking to his _crush_ , and was extremely nervous about it. He said that he wouldn't let his newfound ' _feelings_ ' get in the way of our daily interaction, and at first I thought that he might have recalled something… _traumatic_ that happened in the Afterlife, but after giving it some thought… His awkward behaviour definitely indicated that he was feeling nervous just being around me, and that my usual teasing actually made him embarrassed, like..."

"...When one would be in the vicinity of their romantic interest..." Kanade finished my sentence for me, then stayed silent for a few seconds. "So… are you suggesting… that Yuzuru has feelings towards the both of us, and not just me?" I slowly nodded to Kanade in response, and she turned her gaze back downwards. "...Did you speak to him about this already?" She then asked while keeping her gaze locked onto her cup.

"A-ah, well..." I averted my gaze from her as well and began to play with a strand of my hair. "A-actually… after I received your message yesterday… I… I was with Yuzuru as we were visiting Hatsune-chan, and… I left." Kanade slowly raised her gaze from her cup, looking at me with a curious expression. "Looking back on it now… I was a coward. I was in tears by the time I finished reading your message, you know? My thoughts and feelings were a jumbled mess, and I couldn't even speak to Yuzuru. I was… I was afraid. Afraid, that if I brought it up… he would confirm your story, and..." I could feel something wet going down my cheek, but I wiped it away. "...A-and tell me that he l-loved you. I-I didn't want to hear it, and I still don't. However… After thinking the whole thing over… Yuzuru's behaviour was too odd for it to just be the result of him remembering that he loved you. There was… something else. Something… directed at _me_." I wiped my eyes with my sleeve and looked deep into Kanade's eyes with determination. "I don't want to lose, Kanade."

"Yuri..." Kanade seemed to be taken aback by what I had said, simply looking back at me with her mouth slightly open, before she nodded and smiled at me. "I don't want to lose either, Yuri. But… we don't _have to_ fight. And the most important thing right now is to regain our memories. I still can't remember anything about my previous life, and even my memories of the Afterlife are somewhat unreliable, since they are only memories of Yuzuru."

"You're right. And with how distressed Yuzuru clearly was… He must think the same way. He remembers his past life, but nothing about the Afterlife, so if he truly has suddenly gotten feelings towards the both of us… I know I would be confused in a situation like that."

"So, do you have a plan on how to make our memories return? Out of the three of us, you're still the only one who hasn't made any progress towards our goal." Kanade said and sipped her drink, and I felt a jolt of guilt go through me.

"Well… I can't _deny_ that, but… Maybe we can ask Iwasawa-san or Hinata and Yui to help us? They should still be around, and we kinda ditched them last time after Yuzuru got that call from the hospital… speaking of him, I'll need apologize for yesterday, too." I took out my phone and began to look for Yuzuru in my contact list so I could send him a message.

"Hmmm… Our last meeting didn't really bear any fruit, but… It's our best bet. From what I remember, Hinata-san said that the two of you were quite close in the Afterlife, so perhaps he could help you regain your memories?" Kanade said and brought a hand to her chin, and I lifted my gaze to meet hers. "I mean… I managed to regain some of my memories by being with Yuzuru, and Hinata-san and Yui-san regained their memories by being together, so perhaps spending time with those that we were close with in the Afterlife is a way for us to regain our memories."

"I guess… but just the _thought_ of spending time with Hinata… It doesn't sit well with me." I let out a sigh as I finished typing out the apology message to Yuzuru, in which I also told him that Kanade and I would try to see if we could get the help of Iwasawa, Hinata and Yui in recovering our memories. "If your hypothesis is correct… I guess I wasn't close _enough_ with Yuzuru in the Afterlife, otherwise we'd have most likely already regained our memories..."

"Perhaps. It… could also just be that… there was something _special_ about the… _bond_ that Yuzuru and I, or Hinata-san and Yui-san had, and _that_ was the reason as to why it allowed our memories to return. Though I am surprised that Yuzuru didn't regain his memories the same way I did yesterday." Kanade took another sip of her drink and turned her gaze outside, and I did the same. _It_ _will probably rain, soon..._

"Well, who knows? All Yuzuru told me is that he regained some of his memories, but not how much, or how many he regained. And we don't really what the 'rules' for this whole thing are, if there are any. It might all just be up to _fate_."

" _Fate_ , huh..." Kanade said quietly as she stared out into the clouded sky, seemingly deep in thought, while solitary raindrops began to make their appearance on the window, with more and more slowly joining them.

As we sat there in silence listening to the rain, I found my thoughts wandering back to the message Kanade sent me yesterday. _'Through my soul and his heart, we are bound together by fate'…_ _If all of this really is up to fate, then… No, I can't think like that. Fate can be changed, just like Kashou-san said the day I first met Yuzuru._ _And it was Hinata who said that I founded the SSS because I wanted to rebel against the cycle of reincarnation, to rebel against_ fate _. I feel bad for Kanade, but…_

 _If I have to fight fate to be able to be together with Yuzuru, then I'll do it._

* * *

"And… sent." I say to myself quietly and put my phone back into my pocket, then lifted my gaze upwards, my gaze meeting the culprit for my current predicament: rainclouds. _I knew I should have brought my umbrella…_

The afternoon classes had just ended, and another day at the University was over. I had gotten a message from Yuri in class, where she apologized for suddenly running off yesterday. She had also mentioned that she and Kanade were going to see about organizing another meeting with Hinata, Yui and Iwasawa, in the hopes that they could help us in remembering our time in the Afterlife. She didn't mention _why_ she had left us yesterday, but I remember seeing tears falling down her cheeks as she ran out the door. _The thought of Yuri crying makes my heart wrench, and makes me want to keep her happy enough so she doesn't need to cry. A couple of days ago, I would have attributed that feeling to me being a good friend to her, but… After yesterday… there's another, stronger reason for that._ I closed my eyes and took a deep breath, filling my lungs with the fresh, moist air.

 _I_ love _Yuri._

 _There's no doubt about it. Just seeing her made my heart beat fast enough for it to cause Déjà-vu for me, and during our banter, when she suggested that I was asking her out on a date… the thought made me so embarrassed I couldn't even retort. But… things aren't so simple._

 _Because I also_ love _Kanade._

 _I don't know how, or why, but yesterday, I fell in love with both of them._ I opened my eyes and lowered my gaze as I let out a sigh. _It must have something to do with that weird dream I had yesterday when I fell asleep in the infirmary. I don't remember it clearly, but… both of the girls were in it, I'm sure. I also know that the place I saw in my dream must have been the Afterlife, and since Kanade said that she had also regained some of her memories back then… These feelings have to be somehow connected to my Déjà-vu, and what happened in the Afterlife. That's why…_

"Yuzuru-kun?" A familiar voice brought me out of my thoughts, and I turned to my left to see Yui making her way over to me with her bag in her hands. "What are you still doing here? You left the classroom way before I did." She said as she walked over to me and stopped just next to me, turning her gaze towards the University grounds just before us.

"Ah, well… I forgot my umbrella today, and I really don't feel like going for a swim today." I replied to her. "I guess I could use my bag for a bit of cover and then make a run for La Soleil and wait there until the weather clears up, but… I'd still get soaked on the way there." I explained and reached out my hand from underneath the shelter we were currently standing under, letting the raindrops fall into my palm for a few seconds before pulling my hand back.

"A-ah, I see..." Yui replied quietly, and I turned to face her, only to see her fidgeting awkwardly, a slight blush on her cheeks. "Y-Yuzuru-kun!" She suddenly startled me by saying my name loudly and lifting her gaze to meet mine. "I-if you d-don't mind… I-I've got an u-umbrella with me… We could… s-share?" Kotegawa looked up at me bashfully, but her eyes darted around, never quite meeting mine after the initial eye contact. I had to admit, it did look cute, and I could feel my cheeks heating up ever so slightly.

"Ah, um… Are you sure?" Yui weakly nodded to me as an answer, then reached into her bag, pulling out a white umbrella with Anime cats printed all over it. _Do I…_ have to _walk under that umbrella? It's kind of embarrassing…_ I turned my head briefly back towards the school grounds. Multiple large puddles of water were already beginning to form under the intense rainstorm. _But… I think it would be the lesser of two evils here._ "Alright, I'll take you up on that offer. _Arigatou_ , Yui-san." I said to Yui with a smile, and her eyes lit up as she smiled back at me.

"A-alright. La Soleil, then?" Yui asked, and I nodded to her as an answer. She then proceeded to open her umbrella, which had just enough space under it for the two of us. _Looks like we need to go shoulder-to-shoulder…_ I thought as I stepped under her umbrella. "L-let's go." Yui said after taking a deep breath, and we began to make our way to the cafe I had become a regular at ever since meeting Yuri.

As I had predicted, the umbrella was _just_ large enough for two people, so we had to be quite close to each other to make sure neither of us were soaked. As we walked through the school grounds, ignoring the curious stares of our peers, no doubt induced by the _extremely_ close proximity between Yui and I. The situation was awkward, to say the least, and even I found myself getting slightly embarrassed. I could tell Yui was embarrassed too, but when I glanced towards her, I saw that her blush was accompanied by a large smile. _After all this time that we've known each other, and even after recently becoming friends, I still don't know what's going on in her head. Thinking about it now… how well do I even know her? I know she's the type of person who has trouble being honest with herself and her feelings, and has trouble interacting with others due to this. I've seen her talk with some of our classmates and stuff, but… I don't think she has that many friends. Maybe… maybe that's why she spent a year running after me and scolding me for every little thing I did. I was the only person she could really interact with…_ _And because of her personality, she couldn't properly get across to me that she wanted to be friends, and just acted angry with me instead. But, in the end… there's still a lot about Kotegawa Yui that I don't know._ I looked to my left again, studying Yui's face for a few seconds, until she noticed my gaze and turned to look at me. Due to our close proximity, there was very little space between our faces.

"W-what is it, Yuzuru-kun?" Yui asked, inadvertently causing her breath to hit my face, and I was briefly reminded of two embarrassing incidents: When Yui and I first met, and more recently, when Yuri visited me last week. Both memories caused my cheeks to heat up significantly, and I averted my gaze from Yui. _Need to talk about something to distract myself from these thoughts!_

"Ah… I was… just wondering if… if… Do you… have any other friends, Yui-san? D-don't take this the wrong way, just… I haven't really seen you hang out with anyone else like you do with me..." I said as I rubbed the back of my neck, which turned out to be a mistake, as is caused my elbow to peek out from underneath the umbrella, soaking it slightly before I moved it back.

"O-oh… well… I've got… a few. Some classmates that I… talk with regularly, like… Kushikawa-san, and Himeki-san. I-I also eat lunch with them sometimes. But… y-you're the c-closest f-friend I've got, Yuzuru-kun." Yui explained to me. _That… isn't a lot. Then again, I can't say I'm doing much better. I've only recently been able to make friends, thanks to Yuri. And considering my relationship with Yui-san now… It's much better than what it used to be, that's for sure._

"I… would have thought a pretty girl like you would have more friends, but… I… guess it's not _that_ surprising, with your personality and all… Ah, sorry, if it was insensitive of me to say something like that."

"N-no, not at all. I… I'm well aware of what I'm like, and how it can affect my… _relationships_ with people. But… I want to try being more… honest with myself. I mean… I was able to befriend you, which is… a big achievement for me." Yui finished with a smile on her face, and I couldn't help but smile as well. _I really am glad I became friends with her._

"That's… good, I guess. That you recognize your own flaws, allowing you to grow as a person. Quite admirable, actually." I said, and I could see Yui's face becoming flushed at my compliment, causing a small chuckle to escape my mouth. _Still… I can't help but feel that there's something more to it than that._ _She wanted to be my friend, but couldn't be honest about her feelings for the longest time. Feelings…_ "You know, Yui-san..." Yui turned to look at me as I began speaking again after a few moments of silence, and I couldn't really believe what I was about to ask from her. "Do you… have anyone you like?"

"Eh?! W-what k-kind of q-question is t-that?" Yui shouted out and flinched back away from me, but couldn't get away from me, as I moved with her to avoid the rain.

"I-I was just curious, t-that's all. Y-you don't have to answer if you don't want to..." I said and scratched my cheek, and an awkward silence fell upon us. _I knew I shouldn't have asked that… It's just… with the way she's been acting and everything…_

"...I do." Yui stopped walking, and I heard a quiet voice from my left. I stopped, not wanting to get soaked, and turned my head to look at the source, being faced with a madly blushing Yui with her gaze turned downwards. "I… I have someone I like." Yui raised her gaze to meet mine, her eyes glossed over as she stared deep into mine.

" _It's you, Yuzuru-kun._ "

* * *

" _Kotegawa-san!" I called out to the black-haired girl currently in the midst of packing all of her books into her bag._

" _Hm? Oh, it's you, Otonashi-kun." Kotegawa replied to me as she turned to face me. "Well? What is it?" She asked me in an annoyed tone. Kotegawa was known to be very strict, and almost unfriendly, in a way, so many people had trouble approaching her. The only people who really interacted with her were a few brave girls in our class, and me. I had tried to make smalltalk with her before, but the distance between us was still present._

" _I know we just started here not too long ago, but… I was told that you were very knowledgable when it comes to this University. I was thinking… if you had any spare time, could you help me with something?" In truth, I could have also asked a teacher, but I wanted to get closer with Kotegawa. She was almost like a pariah within the class, with her cold, sometimes rude attitude, though sometimes she showed a more gentle side to others. Perhaps because I was a bit of a loner in High School, I felt like I understood her, and that I could befriend her._

" _Oh? Go on then." Kotegawa said as she finished packing, now fully turning towards me._

" _Well… There's still some things I don't quite get about the curriculum, choosing our 'path', and some such. Oh, and I was also wondering about the library we have here. Could you… show me where it is, and how I can borrow books from there if I need to?" Kotegawa eyed me for a few moments, then sighed._

" _Alright. It's not like I have anywhere to go anyway. Come on, then. I'll show you to the library, Otonashi-kun. We'll have to stop by the faculty office for the key, though, as it's closed today. You can ask any questions you have on the way." Kotegawa picked up her bag, and the two of us left the classroom._

 _On our way to the faculty office, I asked Kotegawa about how certain things worked here, since the teacher's explanation didn't really give me any answers, and I also wanted to hear a fellow student's view on the matter. For our first year, we would mostly study general courses, and we were expected to pick our main course by the time we were halfway through our first year, though many already knew what they were going to pick prior to even starting here. The two biggest courses one could take at this University were Economics and Healthcare, with other, smaller courses including things such as Humanities and Sciences. While every course had plenty of students, this specific University had its main focus on Economics and Healthcare, and these two were usually the two choices between the people who studied here. Since the thought of studying Healthcare caused some… unpleasant feelings for me, I had decided to go for Economics, which Kotegawa had also apparently chosen. After a brief stop at the faculty office to pick up the key, we continued our conversation on the way to the library. Kotegawa explained to me how the different courses varied not just by the things one studied in them, but by things such as their length and difficulty as well. While the teacher's explanation of everything had been rather confusing and complicated, Kotegawa's explanation was simple, and I understood everything a whole lot better._

" _Right, here we are. As I said, the library is closed today, so we're the only ones here." Kotegawa said as we arrived at the library and unlocked the door. "D-don't get any weird ideas, okay?"_

" _Don't worry, I wouldn't do anything like that." I replied to her as we entered the library._

 _Our conversation had kept me preoccupied on our way there, but after her comment, I suddenly became really conscious of her. I already knew she was beautiful, but our current situation made me pay more attention to her. Kotegawa had a pretty face, and her brown eyes could be beautiful, when they were not sending glares at others. She had a very curvaceous figure, with her chest being probably the largest in our class, and while the University uniform was not that revealing, her smooth, long legs were still very much on display, skirt only bringing attention to her thighs. Before any improper thoughts infected my mind, I resumed our conversation to distract myself._

" _So, how can I borrow books from here?" I asked and looked around the library._

" _Normally, there will be someone here at the desk you can speak to. You'll need to show them a form of identification, so they can confirm that you're a student here." Kotegawa explained to me, then walked off to towards the edge of the room, where she crouched down to pick up something. "Hmph. If you make a book fall from the shelf, then you'd better return it to its place..." She muttered as she walked a little further, her gaze shifting between the book in her hands and the shelf._

" _You're… quite strict about the University regulations, aren't you, Kotegawa-san?" I asked as I followed her, noticing that the floor was slightly glistening, as if it had been recently cleaned._

" _Why wouldn't I be? Many people view High School as a place where they can just laze off and not care about the rules, and unfortunately, some of those people carry that mentality with them to University." Kotegawa replied to me as we stopped, and she placed the book back in its place on the shelf. "We are adults now, expected to be respectable members of society, so I want to make sure that doesn't happen, and I also want to set an example. We may be first-years now, but the that will go by in a flash, and soon there will be underclassmen, who we have to make sure abide the rules." Kotegawa said and crossed her arms. I took another step closer to her, when suddenly, my foot slipped on the floor and I had to lean against the bookshelf to keep my footing, which in turn caused me to get a little too close to Kotegawa – quite aggressively, as well. "W-what are you d-doing? I-I told you n-not to get a-any weird i-ideas just b-because w-we're alone i-in here!" Kotegawa said in a panicked tone and began to back away from me._

" _Wait! Watch out! The floor's been waxed!" I said and reached out to her – but I was too late._

 _As Kotegawa backed away from me, she lost her footing on the slippery floor and began to fall backwards. I reached out with my hand to catch her, but just missed her, and as I made the mistake of taking a step forward so I could reach her, the slippery floor got me as well. With a loud 'thud', the two of us fell onto the floor, with me on top of Kotegawa._

" _Oww… I tried to warn you… Are you okay, Kotegawa-san?" I asked, and it took me a few moments to realize the position we were in. I was laying on top of Kotegawa, our faces close enough for our breaths to collide. In my right palm, I felt something… round, soft, and warm, while my left hand was holding onto something smooth. After looking at our position, it took me approximately two seconds to realize that my left hand was holding onto her right thigh, while my right hand had managed to slide underneath her shirt as we fell, lifting it up so her navel was in view, and it didn't take a genius to figure out exactly what my right hand was on top of._

" _Unhhh…. What… happened..." Kotegawa groaned from underneath me as she opened her eyes. Her face was overcome with surprise, and a bright blush appeared on her face as she noticed how close our faces were, and it didn't take long for her to realize our current predicament. "W-w-what a-a-are y-y-you d-doing! P-pervert! S-shameless! Lecher!" She shouted and began to squirm underneath me, inadvertently causing my hand to rub against her softness even more._

" _S-sorry! T-the floor w-was slippery, a-and..." I rose up and quickly pulled my hand away from underneath her shirt, and with a loud 'snap', accidentally pulled something else out as well, causing both of our faces to burn up, as I lifted my hand and found Kotegawa's-_

" _P-P-PERVERT!" Kotegawa shouted and snatched her bra from my hands while pushing me away with her other hand._

" _I-it was an acci-" I was cut off by Kotegawa slapping me as she back away from me, her hands crossing over her chest defensively._

" _S-shut up, l-lecher! Y-you took me h-here on p-purpose, didn't you?! You p-planned this all to… do… s-shameless things t-to me… Pervert, pervert PERVERT!"_

 _Definitely, not one of my fondest memories._

* * *

"Y-Yuzuru-kun?" A voice brought me out of my thoughts, as I had just recalled my unfortunate incident with Kotegawa Yui in my first year of University.

"H-huh? W-what?" I blinked, and realized I was still standing underneath Yui's umbrella while the rain poured down on us. Yui's blushing face was in front of mine as she looked up at me with a concerned look on her face, and I instantly remembered what we just talked about. "A-ah, sorry, I just… remembered something. Um… how long did I space out for?" I asked and glanced around, but our surroundings hadn't changed. _The event that caused mine and Yui-san's relationship to turn sour before it really even began… I had tried to push it out of my mind, but I just remembered it all very vividly._

"N-not too long. Y-you just… stood there silently for a little while, so I got concerned..." Yui said and fidgeted a little. "So… um… What do you… what I said..." Yui then began to quietly mumble, her gaze flickering to my eyes as she did. _Ah, right._

 _She just confessed to me._

"I..." I was at a loss for words. I had never been confessed to before, given my little to no experience with romance, so I had no idea how one was supposed to react. But the worst part was… I would probably have to end up rejecting her. _But… how can I do that? We've only just managed to become friends, and I don't want to ruin that… Granted, I had no idea she even harboured these feelings towards, me, but…_ "I… Well… How… how did you… _fall in love_ with me?" My question seemed to take Yui by surprise, and it took her a few moments to answer.

"How… what? I-I mean… I… I don't know. I guess… I always thought you were kinda handsome, I guess… And over time as I angrily lectured you about the most meaningless things… I… I-it just happened. A-and now that I've interacted with you in a more… _friendly_ manner… I've… f-fallen for you e-even more, I-I guess..." Yui explained, her embarrassment growing with each passing second, and I found myself getting a little embarrassed as well.

"I-I see..." I replied and averted my gaze, looking into the distance, where I could just about see La Soleil's logo on one of the large windows of a building.

"So… what's your… answer?" Yui managed to say as she looked up at me expectantly. _I guess I can't avoid it, huh…_

"Well… I… can't say that I can return your feelings, but… This is the first time something like this is happening, so I'm touched..." _Argh! What am I even saying!_ "I've… actually recently… began to… like someone, so… I'm sorry." Yui's face deflated, her expression turning grim. "Then again… I don't have the heart to reject you… You're… very dear to me, if that makes sense, and I value our friendship a lot..." I stopped once I started hearing sobbing coming from the girl in front of me, and among the raindrops, I could see tears falling down Yui's cheeks. "Yui...san..?" She lifted her head and used her free hand to wipe away some of the tears, then smiled at me bittersweetly.

"I-I'm fine. S-sorry. You… you d-don't have to say a-any more… I… I'm sorry!" Yui said, and before I could do or say anything, she dashed off, taking her umbrella with her.

"Ah, Yui-san! Wait!" I shouted and ran after her, the rain soaking me as I did.

Yui ignored my shouts and ran over a crosswalk, the light turning red just after her. I was adamant about catching her, though, and ran onto the crosswalk. I didn't pay any attention to my surroundings, however, and heard the loud ' _hoooooonk_ ' of a car horn from my right.

"Watch out!" I heard someone yell from behind me, and I turned to my right to see the headlights of a large SUV, then soon felt my head slamming onto the hard concrete ground. At the same time, however… I _saw_ something completely different. Something… which I had never seen before _in this life_.

" _..."_

" _..."_

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

 _What… what is this? It feels… familiar… Déjà-vu?_

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

 _This feeling… It's cold… My head hurts…_

 _Thu-thump_

 _Thu-thump_

 _But… I know what this feels like… what…_ death _feels like…_

"...hear me? Are you okay?" I heard a voice call out to me, but couldn't really tell from where. "Someone help me with him, I'm going to call an ambulance!" I opened my eyes, and was instantly met with unpleasant feeling of having raindrops fall directly into my eyes. _Yui-san…_

 _It really is a terrible day for rain._

* * *

"Is this the right place?"

"Yes, it is. She told me the number in the text she sent me."

I stepped towards the door and raised my hand, ready to knock. After the rainstorm began, Kanade and I had decided that we might as well make use of the time we had (since Kanade didn't have school today due to her collapsing yesterday), so I contacted Iwasawa and inquired if it was possible for us to meet today. She told me that she was currently at home, and we were more than welcome to come visit her. After some brief instructions on where her apartment was located, we now found ourselves in front of her door. It was a plain door with a brass plate bolted onto it, with the number "32" carved onto the plate. After standing in front of the door for a few seconds, I took a deep breath and knocked on it twice.

 _Knock Knock_

"Coming!" Came a voice from inside the apartment, and soon the door was opened and Iwasawa's face poked outside. "Ah, it's you guys. Come on in." She said to us and walked back inside.

"Pardon the intrusion." Kanade said quietly as we entered Iwasawa's apartment. At first glance, it seemed smaller than Yuzuru's apartment, but I couldn't really judge yet, as all I could see now was the entrance.

"How'd you fare with the rain, Yuri? It's absolutely pouring out there." Iwasawa asked the two of us. I can't say I was that comfortable with her using my first name yet, but she'd been doing it ever since she regained her memories, so I didn't dwell on the matter.

"Oh, we were prepared." I said and lifted up my soaked umbrella for her to see as I was taking my shoes off. "Is there anywhere we can leave these to dry?"

"Yeah, hand em' to me, I'll throw em' into the shower space. Just don't forget them there when you leave, though if it's still raining cats and dogs by the time you two leave, I doubt you'd leave here without them." Iwasawa said and chuckled as Kanade and I gave our umbrellas to her. "You two can wait in the living room, I'll there in a moment." I nodded to Iwasawa as she disappeared into one of the rooms, and we made our way to the living room.

My first guess about the size of this place seemed to be correct, as it was clearly smaller than Yuzuru's and Hatsune's apartment. Iwasawa did live here on her own, though, so it is understandable. Kanade quietly walked over to the sofa and sat down on it, her eyes darting around the room. There wasn't really that much furniture around, and the sofa seemed to be the only place where one could sit down, so I sat down next to Kanade.

"Man, it is good to see you guys again, since our meetup on Wednesday ended on a grim note. You went to the hospital with Otonashi-kun, didn't you, Yuri? Was his little sister okay?" Iwasawa asked as she entered the room and made her way to the small, adjoined kitchen and brought out some drinks from the fridge.

"Ah, yeah, Hatsune-chan was okay. Both of her legs are broken, so she won't be going anywhere from that hospital any time soon, but otherwise she's fine." I replied as Iwasawa laid out the drinks onto the table. _Alcohol? As the first thing? Alright…_

"That's good to hear." Iwasawa was about to open one of the bottles when she suddenly stopped and turned to look at us. "Wait… you two are of age, right?"

"Ah, yeah, I am. My birthday was in March, so I'm allowed to drink. I haven't drank that much, though, and never enough to be drunk." I replied to her. In truth, I had only drank alcohol once, on the day I turned twenty, and even then it was no more than a couple of glasses, so I basically had no experience with alcohol.

"I will have to pass." Kanade said and did a little bow towards Iwasawa. "My twentieth birthday has yet to come, and I do not wish to break the law."

"That's fine, I've got some soft drinks as well. Say, didn't you have school today anyway, Tachibana-san?" Iwasawa asked as she opened a bottle of beer and placed it on the table in front of me, then went back to the fridge to get Kanade something to drink.

"I would have had, if it were not for yesterday's events. To put it shortly, I collapsed due to anaemia, and was forced to take this day off as well, which is a shame, since I missed out on another meeting today."

"Oh, I see. Is cola fine?" Iwasawa turned to look at us, and Kanade nodded to her as an answer, while I carefully lifted the beer bottle from the table. The smell stung my nostrils, but I tried my best to bring the bottle to my lips. "I can get you a glass for that, Yuri, since it looks like you're having some trouble with it." Iwasawa said as she brought the bottle of cola for Kanade, and I felt my cheeks heating a little from embarrassment.

"A-ah, yes please." I replied to her and sheepishly placed the bottle back onto the table. Iwasawa grinned at me and went back to fetch three glasses for us, placing them onto the table, then finally sitting down on the couch next to me.

"Ahh… This is the good stuff, really." Iwasawa said as she poured herself a glass and drank a large portion of it in one go, after which she leaned against the armrest on her side and looked at the two of us. "So, you came to me because you want me to help you recover your memories, right?" Kanade and I nodded to her in response. "Alright, well… I don't really know what I can do for you, though..."

"That's fine. We were just thinking… that maybe if we just… _talk_ about things that happened, it might help jog our memory somewhat." I said to her and took a sip from my own glass, the beer tasting honestly quite terrible. "I know we kinda already did that on Wednesday, and it didn't really help that much, but… Maybe if we go into more detail about some things, or if you 'act out' the things you remember… it might cause at least some of our memories to return." I explained to her, and Kanade nodded along with me.

"Hmm… I guess it might work out. I doubt I'd be able to help Tachibana-san much, but… What do you want to hear?"

"Anything and everything. There has to be something that can help us remember."

Iwasawa thought for a few moments, then began to recount events that she remembered as being somewhat important, such as how she joined the SSS, the forming of the band _Girls Dead Monster_ (Where I once played the guitar, apparently), and her last concert. Just like when we discussed these things on Wednesday, the things she said felt familiar, but I couldn't remember them. Kanade was having even less luck, as Iwasawa didn't really interact with her much in the Afterlife. Granted, most of the interactions between her and the SSS were fighting, but as Iwasawa's band was a distraction unit, she didn't even in participate in the combat operations. I also noticed that Kanade didn't tell Iwasawa about the fact that she had regained all of her memories about Yuzuru, which was probaby for the best, considering _how_ she regained those memories. I, on the other hand, did tell Iwasawa that Yuzuru remembered his past life after seeing his little sister in hospital. Iwasawa found this to be interesting, as she recovered all of her memories at once. She speculated that the difference might be either because for her, music was a central part of her "life" in both her previous life, and in the Afterlife, which allowed music to act as the "key" for her, or that it had something to do with the fact that Yuzuru didn't remember anything about his past life when he initially arrived in the Afterlife. In the end, though, we weren't really getting anywhere, and both Kanade and I were becoming discouraged about the whole thing. Our visit dragged on, which I only really noticed when Iwasawa was on her third bottle of beer, while I had barely finished my first. Despite this, I was feeling the effects of the alcohol already, so it must have been strong stuff. While Iwasawa was telling us about the different members of the SSS, Kanade suddenly stood up from where she was sat down and gathered her things, then turned to the two of us.

"Excuse me, Iwasawa-san." Kanade said, and Iwasawa stopped her speech, looking up at Kanade. "While I would like to stay here with you and discuss everything, I must take my leave now." She then said with a bow, and I took out my phone and glanced at the time. _4:57? We've been here for nearly two hours!_

"Ah, no worries. And, sorry again that I couldn't really help you. If only Otonashi-kun had his memories, he could definitely help you, but… Hinata might be your best bet after him. He was close with Otonashi-kun, and Hinata told me that the two of them, along with you, Yuri and someone called Naoi were the last five people in the Afterlife. You might be able to get something out of him." Kanade nodded to Iwasawa as a reply, then went to pick up her umbrella.

"Well, if Kanade's going, I might also take my leave." I said and tried to stand up, but Iwasawa placed a hand on my shoulder and looked at me with a serious look on her face.

"There are still some things I want to talk with you about, Yuri. And… we might be able to make you remember something, just the two of us." Iwasawa said to me and squeezed my shoulder with her hand. _If she's drunk… This might not go well. But…_

"O-okay." I replied to her, and Iwasawa smiled at me. We heard Kanade shuffling by the door, and Iwasawa walked over to her to see her off.

"Yuri." I heard Kanade call my name and I turned around to see her peeking from behind a corner. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you!" I said and waved at her. Iwasawa and Kanade waved at each other as well, but didn't exchange any words as Kanade left the apartment. Iwasawa then walked back into the living room and picked up Kanade's glass, taking it to the kitchen before coming to the couch again, sitting down next to me.

"So, Yuri." Iwasawa said as she picked up her glass, studying the liquid within it. "I noticed this on Wednesday..." She said and turned to look at me. "You were acting very… _timid_ around Otonashi-kun. And even when we first met… it's like you were… _nervous_ being close to him, or something." _I… I think I know where she's going with this…_ "I don't remember you being like that in the Afterlife. So, tell me… Do you… have a _crush_ on Otonashi-kun?" I felt my cheeks heating up at the mere mention of it, but I took a deep breath to calm myself before answering.

"Yes, I do. Yuzuru was the first guy I've been able to talk with so freely, and we even became friends shortly after we first met. Being with him just feels so… _natural_ , and it just… happened before I knew it." I replied to her, and downed the rest of the beer in my glass in one go, finally finishing my first bottle. "What of it?" I asked and turned to look at Iwasawa.

"I was just curious. As I said… I suspected as much based on your behaviour, but I found it… _odd_. You're… different to what you were like in the Afterlife, to a degree." Iwasawa turned to her glass again, taking a small sip from it. _She really can hold her liquor… Are we drinking the same stuff? I already feel like keeling over from juts one bottle…_

"What… What was I like in the Afterlife, then?" I asked, and my question seemed to take Iwasawa by surprise.

"What were you like? Well… You were a great leader. Everyone in the SSS respected you. Intelligent, determined, and able to stay calm even in situations that would make grown men tremble in fear. You weren't a ruthless or tyrannical leader, but you did know how to use your authority as a weapon. I could've probably gone around and asked everyone in the SSS, and not find a single person who would dare to oppose you." Iwasawa explained with a chuckle. "But… there was more to you. You could be scatterbrained at times, and genuinely cared for every single person in the SSS. A nearly perfect, charismatic leader, to say the least." Iwasawa finished with a smile as she poured herself another glass, emptying the rest of her third bottle into it.

"...And how about Yuzuru?" I asked quietly as I thought of all the things Iwasawa said. _Yuzuru did once say that he felt like he_ _should be afraid of me, should he decide to oppose me…_

"Otonashi-kun? Hmmm… no-one really knew him, I think. He couldn't remember anything other than his family name when he arrived, and I don't know if he ever recovered his memories or not. Well, _now_ he does have them, but you get what I mean. But, despite all that… everyone really liked him, and he got along with everyone. He was probably the most liked member of the SSS, even surpassing you, Yuri. And from what I heard from Hinata… he also managed to become friends with Tenshi, er, Tachibana-san. And from what I can remember personally… He was… easy to talk to, so to speak. I told him about my past even though I hadn't known him for that long, and I know some of the other members were also quite open with him." Iwasawa turned to look at me again, the smile back on her face. "I can't say for sure, but… I think he was quite close with you as well, Yuri. You probably opened up to him more than you did to anyone else."

I looked at Iwasawa for a few moments, but then turned my head away as I felt my cheeks flaring up. _I was… close with Yuzuru… I mean… I'm close with him now, but… How close exactly were we? Could I have… possibly…_ loved _him even back then?_

"So… remember anything yet?" Iwasawa's words pulled me out of my thoughts, and I turned back towards her and shook my head. "Well, that's a bummer." Iwasawa said and stretched, then leaned back in the couch. "You might have a better chance with Hinata, unless you find something that you can do that would make your memories return, like I had with playing the guitar. I can't say that I knew you exceptionally well, though, so I wouldn't know of anything like that. Or then you could see if you can find that Naoi guy Hinata mentioned, and see if he has regained his memories. If none of them work… Well, I've heard _hypnosis_ can be used to dig up forgotten memories, but I don't know how true that is." I was staring at the empty beer bottle on the table as Iwasawa listed out all the possibilities, and with each one, I felt hope of ever regaining my memories leave bit by bit. Then, something struck me.

"Wait… who did you say we could try to find?" I asked and turned my gaze towards Iwasawa again.

"Huh? Oh, Naoi. I can't remember anyone called that, but Hinata said that he was the Vice Prez of the Student Council, and that he was 'an insufferable guy with a god complex', whatever that means." _Vice President… God complex…_

"And… then you said… _hypnosis_?" For the first time today, I felt like I was close to revealing something other than weak images of events, or feelings of familiarity with events Iwasawa had described.

"Yeah. Apparently, you can hypnotize someone and then 'probe around' in their mind to bring forgotten memories back to the surface, or something. Now that I think about it, I think Hinata mentioned that Naoi could hypnotize people, and frequently used the skill to play pranks on him. Why do you ask?" Iwasawa looked at me with a curious expression on her face.

"Naoi… hypnotism… regaining memories..." I muttered to myself as I gazed at the bottle again, trying to bore through it with my gaze. "Regaining memories with hypnotism… Naoi could utilize hypnosis… Yuzuru… Naoi was the Vice President… not an NPC, but a human, like us… Join us, and..." I slammed my fist onto the table, causing Iwasawa to jump, and the bottle nearly toppled over. I slowly turned to face Iwasawa again, and I suppressed the urge to hug her. "I… I remembered something! We… We used Naoi's hypnosis to help Yuzuru get his memory back! Naoi was the Vice President, and after… after Kanade was forced to step down, he became President, and… then Yuzuru convinced him to join us, and… I made him hypnotize Yuzuru, so he could regain his memories!" I could feel the smile on my face only growing bigger as I remembered more and more about Naoi, and how his hypnosis helped Yuzuru.

"That's… that's great, Yuri! Is that… all you can remember?" Iwasawa said and held onto my shoulders to keep me in place.

"I… I..." I closed my eyes and tried to focus on the memories I had just regained, but the events before and after the memory were… _blank_. _I know Kanade was the Student Council President, but I can't remember why she stepped down. I know the hypnosis worked, and Yuzuru regained at least some of his memories, but… I don't know what happened after that, or if he spoke to any of us about them. If only Hinata had told us more…_ _He didn't really talk about Naoi, or about any of the big things after Yuzuru joined the SSS… I think he mentioned… a test? And a plan to strike Kanade directly? It's no use… I can't remember…_ "I… can't seem to remember anything other than that… It's probably because you just happened to say those things, and I made the connection..."

"Hmm… Interesting… So… I guess talking with me did help? Although, I still think Hinata would be better for this." Iwasawa said and let go of my shoulders, then leaned back into the couch. "Well, at least you remembered something, that's a good sign. Is there really nothing else, though?"

"Hmm..." I went through everything I remembered in my head again. _Kanade steps down from her position… Naoi becomes the Sudent Council President… He's more strict than Kanade was, and we find out he's not an NPC…_ _We fight him, Yuzuru makes him join us, and then he hypnotizes Yuzuru… I think that's all there is to it… Wait… when we fought him… He… He used his hypnosis on me… He…There were…_ _memories… but false_ _… my…_ siblings…Suddenly, the memory of Hatsune calling me ' _Onee-chan_ ' popped up into my head, and a strong feeling of Déjà-vu accompanied it. Other voices soon joined Hatsune's, three of them, to be exact. _My… My younger siblings… I… I told this… to Yuzuru, once… my siblings… my previous life…_ The room suddenly turned hazy, and the bottle on the table split into three.

"Yuri? Are you okay? You suddenly turned pale." Iwasawa asked, but I just stood up.

"I… I think I'm close… to remembering something… I feel a little dizzy, though, so I need a drink..." I reached out to the table to pick up my glass, and began to make my way to the kitchen. _Odd… I don't remember my glass being this tall… and it gets more narrow at the top…_

"Yuri, hold on. You're… clearly not well, I can see it from the way you walk. And… what are you doing with the empty bottle?" I heard Iwasawa's voice from behind me, and I lifted the object in my hand up so I could look at more closely.

"Oh, you're right… it's the bottle and not the glass..." I shook my head, which cleared my vision a little, though I could still feel a headache forming. _I think… Yuzuru said once… that he sometimes got a headache when he felt Déjà-vu…_ I turned around and walked back to the couch, when my foot collided with something, and I saw the table approaching me at high speeds.

"Yuri! Look out!" Iwasawa shouted, and I could feel her catch me as I fell, but not before my right hand – and the bottle I was holding – hit the edge of the table, shattering the bottle as a sharp pain spread throughout my hand. "Shit, Yuri, are you okay? Oh… you're bleeding! Sit down, I'll go… get a bandage." Iwasawa sat me down on the couch, and the intense pain in my right hand seemed to clear my thoughts somewhat.

"What… Oww… that hurts..." I rubbed my forehead with my left hand to stifle the headache and then inspected my right hand. I almost gagged as I saw my palm, covered in blood, as the shards from the now broken bottle had pierced my skin.

"You said you hadn't drunk that much alcohol… I should have probably warned you, or given you some cola like I did with Kanade. What you drank was pretty strong, but I didn't expect that just one bottle would get to your head like this..." I heard Iwasawa say, but I didn't register her words. My focus was completely on my right hand, and the feeling of Déjà-vu I had, stronger than ever before. _This… This is familiar…_ I looked past my hand, towards the table, where shards of the broken bottle were scattered around. _Shards… something broken… bloody hand…_ the voices returned, this time much louder.

" _Onee-chan!"_

"Yuri? Ah, y-you're… crying? I-is it that painful? Let me..." I slowly turned to Iwasawa as the tears streamed down my face. "Yuri..?"

"Iwasawa… I… I couldn't save them… Everything was taken from me… in thirty minutes… If… if only I knew where..." I let my right hand fall into my lap, staining my clothes with my blood. "My siblings..." I looked up towards the ceiling and took a deep breath, before shouting at the top of my lungs.

" _HOW COULD YOU LET INNOCENT CHILDREN DIE!_ "

* * *

 **AN: And there you have it! Not only did it take me bloody ages to start writing thia, even the writing process itself took nearly a week. I was really having trouble as to how I could make Yuri's memories return, but then I remembered the scene where Naoi attempts to make Yuri disappear from the Afterlife by giving her false memories through hypnosis. So, if she remembered Naoi… she would most likely also remember what he tried to do.**

 **The next chapter will not take as long as this one did, it will most likely be more than a week before I get it out. Until then!**


	10. Chapter 10 - Recovery

**AN: Welcome back, dear readers! I apologize for the lateness of this chapter. A lot of things happened, and I didn't have the opportunity to return to this story as quickly as I had hoped I could. But, here I finally am, and that's what matters! Better late than never, eh?**

 **I left the last chapter with a bit of a cliffhanger (or two), but now it's time to resolve that tension!**

* * *

 **Chapter 10 – Recovery**

 _This is not an ideal situation._

I was laying down on the hospital bed, clutching my phone with my right hand, with the name " _Nakamura Yuri_ " staring back at me from the screen. I carefully brought my left hand up to my head, gently inspecting the bandage wrapped around it as I contemplated on whether or not to call Yuri. _Will she even be awake? It's only 9 am on a Saturday morning, after all. Well, she deserves to know I'm okay, though Mikado-sensei did tell me that she had already called her abut my current situation. Yes… my current situation…_ I closed my eyes for a moment and tried to remember yesterday's events, but to no avail. I remember going to school, and that it rained after my classes finished, but after that… everything is hazy. I remember being with someone, but I can't remember who. Then, there was… a sharp pain in my head, and a strong feeling of Déjà-vu. After questioning me about several things, Doctor Mikado told me that I was brought to the hospital in an ambulance, after someone had seen me fall and hit my head while I was apparently chasing after a girl out on the streets. I was almost ran over by a car, but managed to avoid such a fate just in the nick of time, and got away with just concussion. _The x-ray showed that there is a_ _small_ _crack in my skull at the back of my head, but otherwise I should be fine._ _The cerebrospinal fluids in my head protected my brain from the majority of the impact, but it was still strong enough to knock me out for an extended period of time, and as I woke up… I don't have any memories of the accident,_ _or who the girl I was apparently chasing was_ _. The only things I_ can _hazily_ _remember…_

 _Are things that_ didn't _happen. At least, not in this life._

I let out a small sigh and returned my attention to my phone, where Yuri's contact information was displayed. _Well, I might as well call her now, so I don't keep Mikado-sensei waiting any longer._ I thought and looked towards the older woman, currently organizing a pile of papers on the other side of the room. I took a deep breath and pressed the "call" button, then brought the phone to my ear. Ten seconds passed, and the call didn't connect, but as I was about to pull my phone away, Yuri finally picked up the call.

"Hey, Yuri-" I began as the call connected, but was cut of immediately.

"WHAT HAPPENED?! ARE YOU OKAY?" I quickly pulled the phone away from my ear, as Yuri's shout ringed in my ears and nearly made my headache return. _This girl…_

"Right, first of all – _please_ don't shout like that. It might make my condition worse." I replied to Yuri and glanced to the other side of the room again, where Mikado was now scanning through the documents she had. Noticing my glance, she gave me a small smile before returning her attention to the papers in her hand. "I'll answer your second question first. I'm fine, at least for now. I don't know how long I'll stay here, but it shouldn't be as long as Hatsune. And as for your first question… I fell and hit my head yesterday, resulting in concussion and a small crack in my skull."

"Y-you call that 'being fine'? Do you have any idea how worried I was when you didn't answer yesterday, and then Mikado-sensei called me and told me you were in hospital!" Yuri's loud voice came from the speaker, though she had – thankfully – lowered her voice enough so she wasn't shouting any more.

"Yes, I understand, but… there wasn't really much I could do about that myself." I could hear a sigh from the other side of the call.

"Right, of course. I'm… sorry. It's just… I-I was really worried, okay?" Yuri paused for a moment before continuing. "Do… your parents know already?"

"Yeah, they do. Hatsune does as well, and I'm actually in the room next to hers." I noticed Mikado tap her watch as she looked at me, signalling to me that her time was short. "If you want to hear the full story, it'd be best if we did it face-to-face. Mikado-sensei would also like to meet you, so if you can come today, that would be great."

"Huh? Mikado-sensei wants to meet me? What for?"

"Well… It's about our Déjà-vu, let's just put it at that. But, I have to go now. Can you come visit today?" I glanced towards Mikado again, who started making her way to me, placing the stack of papers in her hands onto the table next to my bed as she sat down in the chair next to it.

"Oh, um… I should be able to make it today… does 3 pm sound good?" I looked towards Mikado questioningly and lifted up three fingers, and after thinking for a brief moment, Mikado nodded to me. "Yeah, that works. I'll see you then."

"Alright, see you, Yuzuru." With those words, Yuri ended the call, and I lowered the phone from my ear.

"So, Otonashi-kun. Now that you've recovered from your initial loss of consciousness resulting from the concussion... You said that you would explain what these _interesting_ reports about your _behaviour_ , and the things you were recorded saying yesterday are, right?" Mikado asked as I placed my phone onto the table next to the stack of papers – my medical and examination files.

"Yes, I did. I… don't really remember everything, given the short-term memory loss I'm suffering from due to the concussion, but… judging from what you and the other doctors told me, and the few things I can remember… it relates to my Déjà-vu." I replied back to her.

"Yes… you mentioned this before when you were visiting Hatsune-chan, and promised to tell me more about it. I know this isn't exactly like we planned, but I can go get you a cup of coffee, if you'd like?" Mikado said and leaned backwards in her seat as she pointed towards the door with her thumb.

"No thank you, I'll be fine." I replied, and Mikado nodded, crossing her arms underneath her chest, lifting it up ever so slightly. _I swear she's doing this on purpose… In a way, her teasing is worse than Yuri's…_ " _Ahem_. So… what do you want to hear?"

"Well, anything and everything. The report says that you said some… pretty interesting things yesterday, which were attributed to your concussion, but… this ' _Déjà-vu_ ' of yours can explain it, right?" Mikado paused, and I nodded to her as an answer. "Alright. And your friends, Nakamura-san and Tachibana-san, are related to this as well?"

"Yes, they are. We all… _experience_ something that we've collectively decided to call 'Déjà-vu', given that it is… similar to the actual phenomenon by that name. Déjà-vu is normally an… anomaly in our memory, to put it simply, and it happens rarely. For us, however… We experience Déjà-vu nearly on a daily basis, and it's always the same things that 'trigger' the feeling for us. The feeling itself is also… _stronger_ than what other people experience normally." I explained to Mikado, then paused for a moment.

"Hmm… Sounds interesting, that's for sure. So, you run into events that you feel like have happened before on a daily basis, then? How does this relate to the things you said?"

"It's… a little more complicated than that. Our… _special_ Déjà-vu is very much like the one you're familiar with, but… It's hard to explain, sorry. The 'triggers' that we have aren't necessarily all events. They may be objects, names, places, or… _people_. Whenever we encounter one of these triggers, we get the feeling that… we've seen it – or something like it – before, but… in a different context, or something like that. Now… this is where it gets… a little more interesting, and I completely understand if you don't believe me. Up until recently, before I met Kanade and Yuri, we had no idea what caused our special Déjà-vu. But, after spending time and searching for the answers together… We've found that reason." I paused for a bit, getting ready to tell Mikado everything. "All three of us… had a life before this one. Not as different people, but as ourselves. The people known as Otonashi Yuzuru, Tachibana Kanade and Nakamura Yuri all existed before. We lived short, unfulfilling lives and died young, and were sent to the Afterlife, where we all met. I don't know – or rather, don't _remember_ – what happened during our time there, but I know we were all reincarnated, which brings us here. Our Déjà-vu… they're memories, from our past lives, and from our time in the Afterlife. And as for what this has to do with what I said yesterday… Based on what you told me about the things I said, I can guess that the near-death experience I had caused some of my memories from that time return." Mikado's eyes widened at my explanation, but she stayed motionless.

"Well..." A few seconds of silence had passed after I finished before Mikado spoke again. "That is… definitely something unbelievable. I… don't suppose you have any evidence of this?" Mikado uncrossed her arms and placed her elbow on the table, resting her head in her palm as she leaned to the side.

"It's… a bit difficult to get evidence for something like this, but… I remember everything about my past life, and there are three other people we've met who also remember theirs. Of course, something like that can't be considered solid evidence, but it's the best we've got." I replied to her, while Mikado kept silent. "You don't have to believe me, of course. If I heard someone tell me something like this, I certainly wouldn't believe them."

"I… won't say that I don't believe you." Mikado said and stretched in her seat. "But I won't say that I believe you either. I'll be honest, this does sound like something someone with Chuunibyou would come up with, but… you seem sincere. Obviously, science doesn't support the idea of an Afterlife, and reincarnation, but… I doubt you'd make up a story like that for your own amusement." I felt a smile forming on my face. _She didn't say she believed me yet, which is understandable, but the fact that she didn't immediately shoot me down makes me happy._

"Thank you for understanding, Mikado-sensei. The only other people – other than the ones who experience it themselves – that I've told this to are Yui-san and Hatsune. If I could have a way of proving it to you I would, but..." I bowed to Mikado as much as I could from my sitting position.

"Hmm… You said that you remembered your past life, right? Depending on what you remember… there might be some evidence there. Things like names, places or events that would be impossible for you to know about right now."

"That's true..." I said and thought for a few moments. _What do I remember from my past life…_ "Well… I was aiming for Medical school in my previous life. If my application to there still exists, or then..." I let my gaze wander, and spotted my medical files on the table. _Medical files… Wait, that's right!_ "Oh! Before I died, I gave my consent for becoming an organ donor! Surely there must still exist files of something like that?"

"A donor? Hmm…" Mikado took on a thoughtful pose and went quiet for a few moments. "It all depends on how long ago you were… ' _previously alive_ ', so to speak. It'd be at least two decades old… They might still exist, if you did indeed donate any of your organs to someone. I'll have to see if I can get access to the national database." Mikado finished with a smile.

"You… don't have to, but it would be great if you could, if only to act as proof for you."

"In my personal opinion… I do find your story believable, if a little crazy. But from a doctor's point of view… definitely crazy." Mikado took the stack of papers from the table and straightened them out. "So, what do you want me to write on these reports? Your ramblings from yesterday aren't _that_ important, but given how nonsensical they were, combined with the fact that you took a hit in the head, I need some kind of explanation from you now that you've regained your senses."

"Oh, um… I doubt the other doctors will believe the truth, so… Can you write it off as just being a result of the sudden head trauma, and that I don't remember anything about it?"

"That… might work out. You'll probably have to undergo some tests, though." Mikado said as she flipped through the papers, then stopping to write something down.

"Could I… have a look at the files?" I asked, and Mikado looked up at me, raising an eyebrow. "I told you that I remember everything about my past life, but… I don't remember anything about the time I spent in the Afterlife. The things I said… might be memories from that time, so looking through the report might help me remember."

"Alright, it's not like patients are forbidden from looking at their own files." Mikado said and handed the stack of papers to me. "But… if you don't remember it, how do you know that you were in this… ' _Afterlife_ '?"

"Oh, I was told about it by someone who was also in the Afterlife, and has all of his memories. If you're around when Yuri comes to visit, we can explain everything a lot better, although she doesn't remember anything herself, yet." I replied to Mikado as I scanned through the file. _Patient brought in after suffering a_ _n mTBI… Woke up in response to painful stimuli after approximately 11 minutes of LOC… Patient was disorientated and confused_ _after waking up… nonsensical babbling, possibly a result of greater damage to the brain than what initial diagnosis suggested…_ I shuddered a little as I read through the report, my eyes landing on the newest bit of information written by Mikado when she questioned me earlier in the morning. _Patient awake and completely fine, apart from a headache. Cannot remember the accident, or anything just before it,_ _but has been informed of everything we know._ _Quick tests indicate no grievous or lasting effects of the concussion._ _Patient has no memories of acting abnormally the day before, the reason for which is suspected to be simply due to the sudden head trauma that the patient suffered._ I lifted my gaze from the papers towards Mikado and looked at her questioningly. "Where were the things I said written down? I can't see them here." I said to her, and Mikado leaned closer to have a look at the medical records.

"Ah, that'll be on the next page." She said and turned the page for me, brushing her hand against mine, smirking as she did. "Not everything was recorded, but some of the more interesting things you said are here. And now that I think about it… Some of them make a bit of sense, if we assume that your story about the Afterlife and the 'Déjà-vu' are true." Mikado said and brought her hand to her face as she looked upwards thoughtfully, then turned to face me with a smile. I felt a blush rising to my cheeks as Mikado was now extremely close to my face, so close that I could smell her perfume and feel her breath on my face. _Yep, she's_ definitely _doing this on purpose…_

" _A-arigatou_ , Mikado-sensei." I said and averted my gaze, being briefly reminded of the last time I was so close with a girl. _It doesn't help that with her eyes and hair, Mikado-sensei looks a little like Yuri…_ After seeing my reaction, – seemingly satisfied with it – Mikado moved away from me and crossed her legs as she leaned back in her chair. To keep my thoughts as innocent as possible – and my eyes away from her legs – I focused on the papers again. As Mikado had said, the page she flipped to seemed to have an 'additional information' section, where some of the things I had said were recorded. _Let's see these, then..._

 _Patient repeatedly said nonsensical and somewhat cryptic lines after regaining consciousness – many of these things having something to do with death. Possible thanato- or necrophobia? Check any previous medical records after operation._ _ **Doctor Akagi**_ _ **: Patient has no previous medical records from our hospital, and no known phobias. Will**_ _ **ask the doctor appointed to patient (Mikado) to question patient,**_ _ **if possible**_ _ **.**_

 _Patient reacted to stimuli and remained conscious after the initial awakening, but rambled on constantly. Patient repeated certain things multiple times, though not exactly the same every time. Some of the repeated lines listed below:_

" _The pain of death… I know it… I know it from the Afterlife… Dying, over and over..."_

" _A short and unfulfilling life… I want to see my friends again in the Afterlife, but I don't want them to die young like I did..."_

" _Will I remember this life? My head hurts, so I might not..."_

" _I… I want to donate my organs if I die, just like last time..."_

 _Suggested for the patient_ _to undergo psychological tests, if the patient recovers and is in a condition suitable for the tests._ _ **Doctor Akagi: Repeated mentions of this 'Afterlife' are interesting. If possible, a record from the patient regarding these ramblings would be**_ _ **helpful.**_

I lifted my gaze from the file and looked towards Mikado, who was studying me with a slight grin on her face.

"This makes me look like I'm mad." I said, and Mikado let out a littlegiggle.

"That's what Doctor Akagi said to me as well when she assigned me to as your doctor. But don't be afraid, I don't think you're mad. The other doctors might do, though." Mikado said and gave me a wink. "So, did it help? Do you remember anything?"

"Hmm..." I closed my eyes and tried to focus, but to no avail. _If only_ _I remembered yesterday's events…_ "No, I don't." I replied and handed the files back to Mikado. "If and when I recover from the short-term memory loss, I should hopefully be able to remember everything I said yesterday. Who is this 'Doctor Akagi', by the way?"

"Akagi Ritsuko is one of the senior doctors here. She's been here longer than I have, and is also older by a few years, though with how youthful she looks, you couldn't guess that our ages were that far apart." Mikado explained to me. "She's the one who was with you when you arrived here yesterday, but assigned me as your doctor, given that your little sister is already under my supervision." Mikado glanced at her watch, then stood up from her seat. "And… I might have suggested to her that I would like to be your doctor based on… _personal preference_." Mikado said with a wink and turned around to leave. "I'll get these files back to Doctor Akagi, and go check on your little sister. I'll also see if I can find anything about this 'previous you' who was an organ donor."

"Alright. Can you make it back to me by three, so you can chat with Yuri as well?" I asked before Mikado left me, and she stopped to look back at me at the door.

"I should be able to. I'll see you then, Otonashi-kun." Mikado gave me a wave as she opened the door, and I returned the gesture as she left.

Now that I was alone in the room again, I laid back down on the bed and stared up at the ceiling. I brought my left hand up to my head, gently caressing the bandage as I tried my best to remember anything from yesterday. _It's no use. I can't remember anything after leaving school, apart from the rain, and being with someone… I wonder who it was? The accident I was in happened when I was chasing after a girl and dodged an incoming car, so could she be the person I was with? But… who was it then? I don't think it was Yuri, but I'll have to ask her when she comes to visit me._ _If it's not her, t_ _hat leaves… Yui-san and Kanade. Kanade was not in school yesterday, given what happened two days ago, so the person I was with… was most likely Yui-san. But… why would I be chasing after her?_ I closed my eyes and tried to focus on yesterday's events again, but all I could recall were hazy images of raindrops, standing next to someone under an umbrella, and a throbbing pain at the back of my head. _Gah, this will just make me have a headache_ _again_ _._ I opened my eyes and let out a sigh as the clouds outside parted somewhat, allowing a few rays of sunlight to pass through the window and into the room. _Seems like I'll have to wait until I recover from the short-term memory loss. If Yui-san was with me, and I was chasing after her… something must have happened. Then there are the things I said yesterday. I'm certain that I remembered something about my time in the Afterlife after the accident, but… Right now, I can't remember anything clearly, just… lots of_ pain _, and death..._ I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of my phone's text message notification. I picked up my phone and saw a message from Yuri, where she said that she had informed Kanade and Iwasawa about my current situation, the latter of the two apparently wanting to visit me. As I was about to put my phone back, I saw Yui's name in the list of my contacts. _Yui-san… She's the only one of my friends who hasn't been informed yet._ I glanced at the digital clock on my phone, the numbers reading out " _9:22_ ". _She should be in school at around this time, so she might not answer if I call her…_ I thought as I found my finger hovering over the "call" button. After a few seconds, I decided to try calling her, as there would be no harm in not doing so. I sat up in my bed again and gazed outside as I waited for Yui to pick up the call – which I honestly doubted she would do. However, yet again, as I was about to end the call, she suddenly answered. _What's with both of them taking such a long time to answer today?_

"Hey, Yui-san. Are you in class right now?" I started the conversation with a question, as I found it very unlikely that Yui would respond to a call in the middle of class.

"Eh? Y-Yuzuru-kun, I-I..." I heard Yui's slightly panicked voice from the other side of the line. "I'm not, no. Why do you ask? Are you… not in class either?"

"I'm in hospital at the moment, recovering from concussion as a result of an accident yesterday after school. But… what about you? Are you perhaps skipping class, Yui-san?" I asked in a teasing tone, as I knew that Yui was the person most strict about skipping class and the consequences of doing so. _Although I am curious. Being absent is not like her._

"W-why would I-I be skipping c-class specifically t-today?! I-I'm just… sick, that's all." _That was… an odd response. Did something happen?_ "Wait… what did you just say? Hospital? Concussion? A-accident? W-what happened?" Yui began to sound panicked again, though it was different from just a moment ago. I felt a smile growing on my face, as I could tell from her voice that Yui cared about me a lot.

"Yeah. I don't know the details of what happened, since I'm suffering from short-term memory loss, but I do know that I hit my head after nearly being run over by a car, and was brought to the hospital in a more or less… _confused_ state. I'm fine now, but I'll need to recover at the hospital for some time." I explained to Yui.

"That's… That's terrible! But… you said that you have… _short-term memory loss_? So you don't… remember anything from… yesterday?" Yui asked me timidly.

"That's right." I said, and could hear what sounded like a sigh of relief coming from Yui. "The last thing I can clearly remember is the school day ending. After that… Not much, apart from the rain, and being with someone… Oh, right! Were you with me yesterday? Although… since you didn't know about my accident..."

"A-ah, yes, I was with you yesterday a-after school. We… walked together for a little while, as you didn't have an umbrella with you, but you didn't get into any kind of accident when I was with you..." Yui paused for a moment, then continued again in a slightly more quieter voice. "You really don't remember anything?" _Why is she so focused on that?_

"No, I don't. Just the rain, sharing an umbrella with someone, and an extreme pain in my head. I was told that the person who called an ambulance for me saw me running after a girl, which is why I was almost ran over. Was… that girl you, by any chance? Or was it someone else?" _If… If Yui-san was the girl I was chasing… And she's very keen on knowing whether I remember anything from yesterday… Something must have happened._

"I… I'm sorry..." I heard Yui's quiet, almost inaudible voice from the phone. Before I had a chance to reply, though, Yui cleared her throat and continued. "A-anyway, I-I don't know who you were chasing, but, um… Can I come and visit you? A-after I've gotten b-better myself, that is."

"Oh, of course. Yuri will be visiting me later today, and another friend of mine apparently also wants to visit me at some point. But, you're welcome to visit any time." I said and smiled, despite knowing that Yui couldn't see my smile.

"O-okay. I'll… call you when I've… gotten over my illness. I-I should be better by tomorrow, if that's okay?"

"You don't have to push yourself, Yui-san. Take the time to rest and recover." I said with genuine concern in my voice. _I don't want to cause trouble for Yui-san._

"But… I… have to..." Yui mumbled quietly at the other end of the line. "Sorry, that was nothing. I'll… see you tomorrow, okay? I-I'll call you before I come there." I suppressed the urge to let out a sigh. _I guess I can't make her not worry about me and lay in bed all day._ _Oh well._

"Alright. I'll see you tomorrow, Yui-san."

"Y-yes, goodbye, Yuzuru-kun." Yui ended the call, somewhat hurriedly, and I was once again left alone in the room. Well, I was alone before, but with the phone call, I at least had someone to talk to.

I placed my phone back on the table and returned to my thoughts. _Something definitely happened yesterday with Yui-san, but I can't remember anything… and I don't think she is willing to talk about it._ I let out a sigh and turned my gaze back outside, where the sky had turned cloudy again, as if threatening to rain at any moment. _It's actually pretty lonely, staying at a hospital like this. I'll probably have to give Yuri my apartment keys and have her bring me some things to pass the time with. Yes, Yuri… Due to this accident, I didn't have a chance to talk with her about why she left Yui-san and I so abruptly on Thursday… I remember that she sent me an apology yesterday, and given that she's willing to see me today, she must have gotten over whatever_ _caused her to run off like that._ As I thought about Yuri, I found my mind wandering to the incident between us the previous week, and felt my cheeks heating up at the memory of Yuri laying down on top of me, our bodies as close as was physically possible. _We've both not talked about it since, but… I can't help but remember it at the back of my mind whenever I am with Yuri… And especially now that I've suddenly fallen in love with her… But… there's also Kanade… I really want to regain all of my memories and find out why this happened, why…_

 _...I fell in love with two girls._

* * *

I gripped the shoulder strap of my bag tighter as I gazed at the room number displayed on the door. _302, huh…_ I glanced to the left, where my gaze was met with the door to room 301. _There's still time before it gets to three o'clock… I should say hi to Hatsune-chan while I'm here. Nothing wrong with that. I'm not delaying my visit to Yuzuru, not at all._ I walked over to the other door and prepared to knock on it, hesitating a little as I let out sigh, finding my gaze moving back towards the other door. _I can't even lie to myself… But the last time I saw Yuzuru was… on Thursday. It feels… awkward meeting him like this, after running away from him then…_ I turned my gaze back to the door in front of me, and knocked on it lightly with my right hand, now covered in a bandage after yesterday's accident at Iwasawa's place. _Talking with Kanade helped, but… I still feel nervous about talking with Yuzuru after that._

"Is that you, Mikado-sensei?" I heard Hatsune's voice from the inside. "Come on in, the door's open!" I took a deep breath and opened the door, and was met with Hatsune's surprised face as I entered.

" _Kon'nichiwa_ , Hatsune-chan. I came to visit without telling you, is that okay?" I said to Hatsune as I walked inside the room, taking a seat in the chair next to the bed. I used my left hand to somewhat cover my right, so the bandage wasn't obvious, and if Hatsune saw it, she at least wasn't paying any attention to it.

"Of course it is! I always love talking with you, Yuri-san!" Hatsune said with a beaming smile as she placed the Manga she had been reading onto the table next to me. "Speaking of which, we didn't really get to talk the last time we met, since you just… left. What was that about?" Hatsune asked and tilted her head with a quizzical look on her face.

"A-ah, that. Well… I'm sorry! I didn't mean to leave so abruptly! I just… got a text from Kanade, and… something came up, so..." Hatsune narrowed her eyes as the look on her face turned from quizzical to suspicious. _I can't just tell her the truth, can I? I'm sure Hatsune-chan would be just_ delighted _to know that two girls have fallen in love with her brother, but… There's also the fact that if both Kanade's hypothesis, and my suspicions are correct… Yuzuru might have also awakened feelings towards the two of us._

"Could it be..." Hatsune's words brought me out of my thoughts, as she studied me with her face a mix of suspicion and intrigue. "Does it have something to do with Onii-chan? You came here to meet him, didn't you?" Hatsune asked and smirked at me.

"Eh? N-no! I-I mean… Yes, I came here to see him, since I-I was told that he was in hospital, but… Why would me leaving you guys on Thursday have a-anything to do with Yuzuru?" Hatsune was as perceptive as usual, as she managed to guess my reasoning immediately.

"Am I wrong? I just thought that he might be involved, given that you _like_ him." I felt a blush rising to my cheeks, and I averted my gaze from Hatsune.

"W-well… I-it doesn't have anything to do with Yuzuru. It was just… Something…. _personal_ suddenly came up." I thought up a quick lie, and decided to change the subject before Hatsune could catch on. "Anyway, how did things go after I left? Kotegawa-san was still there, and so were your parents, right?"

"Oh, nothing too noteworthy. We were all a little confused as to why you ran off, but other than that, it was mostly what you'd expect. I talked a lot with Kotegawa-san, while Otou-san and Okaa-san mostly questioned Onii-chan about his relationships, given that counting his close acquaintances has always only required one hand, and this was the first time they were _girls_." Hatsune paused for a bit and smirked at me before continuing. "And now that we're on the subject… Do you think Kotegawa-san likes Onii-chan too?"

"You're… perceptive, aren't you?" I said and let out a small sigh. "From what I've seen… I think she might do. Why do you ask?"

"Well, because that makes her your romantic rival! Now, while Kotegawa-san is a good girl, fitting for Onii-chan, and 'Yui-nee' has got a ring to it, I'm still rooting for you, Yuri-san! And, while Kotegawa-san seemed like a timid, tsun-tsun girl, I think she might have some surprises up her sleeve." Hatsune seemed really excited to talk about the love life of her older brother. _A part of me wants to see what her reaction would be if I told her that Kanade has also fallen in love with him, or that I feel like there's a possibility that he's fallen in love with one – or both – of us… At least with both of them bedridden, Hatsune-chan won't be able to see how Yuzuru acts around me now._

"Um… what are you trying to say, exactly..?" I asked from Hatsune, who looked at me, slightly dumbfounded by my question.

"Huh? I'm saying that you need to make your move soon, Yuri-san! You have to snatch Onii-chan for yourself before Kotegawa-san has the chance to do so! And you've got the perfect chance right now! Just go to the other room – where you'll be all alone with him – and confess! Simple as that."

"Eh?! I-I can't just… d-do something like that out of the blue. The m-moment needs to b-be right, a-and…" I felt my cheeks heating up again from Hatsune's suggestion. _C-confessing to Yuzuru? I mean… I want to do it, but… not right now. Regaining out memories takes priority. I want… no, I_ need _to know if I was in love with Yuzuru in the Afterlife._

"You have to go for it, though! You _love_ Onii-chan, don't you, Yuri-san?" I swallowed and gave Hatsune a small nod as a reply. "Then you have to just do it! Or will you just wait around forever, and watch as Kotegawa-san takes the step forward before you do?"

"I..." I bit my lip and looked away from Hatsune. _I… I won't just let Kotegawa-san take him away from me, but…_ "...Recovering our memories is our top priority right now. Yuzuru and I remember our past lives, but the events of the Afterlife still elude us. O-of course, I'm not just going to watch from the sidelines, but… Now is… not the time..." I felt my voice growing weaker by the second, and Hatsune let out a sigh.

"Fine, have it your way, then..." Hatsune visibly deflated as she leaned back in her sitting position on the bed. _Huh? That was… not the reaction I expected._ "Hey, you just said that you remember your past life, right?" Before I could say anything, Hatsune perked up, returning to her usual self extremely quickly.

"Oh, I did, didn't I? It… actually happened just yesterday. Me regaining my memories, that is. I was with Iwasawa-san, and as we talked about certain things… I suddenly remembered everything, as well as certain things from the Afterlife, though not much."

"That's great! So, what was it like? Your previous life?"

"Well… I… I had siblings. Two little sisters and a little brother. We… were a relatively well-off family, and were… happy." I found myself smiling at the memory of my previous life, the feelings bringing warmth to me. _I wish my family in this life was_ _even half as_ _wonderful as_ _the one in my previous life was…_

"Sounds really nice, pretty much the opposite of what Onii-chan remembered. Anything else?"

"It was nice… for a while." I said and looked down as my hands balled up into fists. "Our parents… left the four of us alone one day. 'Personal business', they said. That day… robbers broke into the house and took my siblings as hostages, telling me as the oldest sibling to bring them any and all valuables. And if I didn't..." I could feel the pain in my left hand as my nails dug into my skin, and I was trying my hardest to fight back the tears, wiping the corners of my eyes with my bandaged right hand. "They… they killed them..." I was shaking, and Hatsune was looking at me with a concerned look on her face as I pressed my right hand against my face, a few stray tears soaking the bandage, the salty liquid stinging the wound in my palm.

"You… don't have to say any more, Yuri-san..." Hatsune reached out with her hand, placing it gently on top of my left one and lightly squeezing down on it.

"It's… fine. I can't just keep it all to myself. Telling you about it helps." I said and smiled as I laid my right hand atop Hatsune's in my lap, and she smiled back at me.

"That's good, but… I think there is someone else who needs to hear the full story as well." Hatsune began to lift her hand off mine, and the slight stinging in my right palm caused me to jerk my hand away quickly. "...And he'll be without a doubt more curious about _this_ than I am." Hatsune smirked a little as she lightly caressed the bandage on the back of my right hand, before pulling away from it and resting her hand on her own lap.

"You're… right. _Arigatou_ , Hatsune-chan." I said and stood up from my seat. "Yuzuru is waiting for me on the other side of the wall, and who am I to keep him waiting any longer?" I said and gave Hatsune another smile, before turning away and making my way to the door.

"Good luck! And remember what I said, _Yuri-onee-chan_!" I stopped just before the door as I heard Hatsune from behind me, but shook my head to clear to incoming blush from my face and exited the room. Immediately after closing the door behind me, I leaned my back against it and let out a sigh. _Okay, calm down, Yuri. This is what you came here for, to meet Yuzuru. Just act natural, there's nothing to feel awkward about. I've already apologized, and…_

"Oh? If it isn't Nakamura-san." I heard a familiar voice from my left, and turned to see Doctor Mikado standing by the door to Yuzuru's room. She was about to knock on the door, and I could spot a folder of some sort in her other hand. "And here I thought I would be late, and that you'd get here before I did. You visited Hatsune-chan, then?"

"Oh, um… Yes, I did. I… came here a little while ago, and decided to say hello to her while I was here." I replied to Mikado and made my way over to her.

"I see. Well, it's good that we're both here now, then." Mikado paused as she looked at me, her gaze locking onto my right hand. "What happened to your hand?" She asked after a few moments of silence.

"Oh, this? I, uhh… It's a bit of a long story, so… I would prefer to tell it to both you and Yuzuru at the same time. And… you also wanted to talk with me?"

"Yes, I did. You see, after Otonashi-kun was recorded saying some pretty interesting things yesterday, he told me about his 'Déjà-vu', and the whole 'Afterlife' thing this morning. But, as you said, we should probably discuss all of this with Otonashi-kun." Mikado said and smiled at me, then knocked on the door to Yuzuru's room.

"Come on in!" I heard Yuzuru's muffled voice from the inside, and took a deep breath to compose myself as Mikado opened to door and entered, with me following right behind her. "Oh, Yuri! Good to see you." Yuzuru said as he noticed me behind Mikado. He was sitting down on his bed, and I could see a bandage on his head, with only a few strands of red hair peeking out from underneath it. Other than that, though, he seemed normal. _It wasn't anything too bad, then… I'm glad..._

"Hi, Yuzuru. Sorry I'm a little late, I was with your sister for a little while." I replied to Yuzuru as Mikado and I made our way inside the room. "How are you feeling?"

"I've got a bit of a headache and I feel a little nauseous, but that's mostly because Akagi-sensei had me go through various tests and questionings today. Other than that, I'm perfectly fine. What about you, Yuri? What's with the bandage on your right hand?"

"I… guess I can start with explaining it." I said and glanced towards Mikado, who gave me a small nod. "Yesterday, Kanade and I visited Iwasawa-san in hopes of possibly regaining some of our memories. However, just like during our meeting with Hinata and Yui on Wednesday, we didn't make any progress. After Kanade left, Iwasawa-san and I talked about things with just the two of us, and I actually managed to remember something." Yuzuru's eyes widened, and a small smile appeared on his face as I paused for a moment.

"That's great! What did you remember?" Yuzuru asked excitedly.

"I remembered some things about someone called Naoi Ayato, from the Afterlife. I think Hinata might have also mentioned him, but after Iwasawa-san happened to mention him and regaining memories through _hypnosis…_ I put the two together, and regained a portion of my memories from the Afterlife. It… isn't much, and not that important, though. Mainly I remembered that Naoi was able to hypnotize others, and we used his skill to put you into a trance, which helped you regain your memories about your previous life." I explained, and Yuzuru seemed really focused on each of my words, as if trying to piece together the things I said into memories of his own.

"And… this all happened… in the 'Afterlife', right?" Mikado asked, and I nodded to her as an answer. "So Otonashi-kun… didn't remember anything about his past life while he was there, but you did, Nakamura-san?"

"That's what we were told." I replied to her. "We know three people who were in the Afterlife with us, and who have all of their memories from that time. Hinata Hideki, Yui, and Iwasawa Masami. We met up with them on Wednesday, and they told us about everything, in hopes that we would also regain our memories, but to no avail."

"Interesting… But please, do go on." Mikado said as she sat down on the chair next to Yuzuru's bed, leaving me as the only person in the room standing up.

"Well, after that… we get to my hand." I said and lifted up my right hand for both of them to see. "You see… Iwasawa and I… _drank_ a little bit, and it… got to my head quite quickly. That resulted in me accidentally breaking an empty bottle and cutting open my right palm with the shards. However… There was something good about that as well." I saw Yuzuru raise an eyebrow as I finished, and I turned to look him directly in the eyes. "It made me remember a very important event in my past life, and thus..."

"...You… regained your memories?" Yuzuru finished my sentence for me, and I nodded to him as an answer.

"Precisely. But, just like you, Yuzuru, I only remember my past life, and nothing of the Afterlife. Well, apart from the whole deal with Naoi, but that isn't very much." As I finished, I turned towards Mikado again, who had a thoughtful expression on her face. "So, you heard about what's special about us from Yuzuru, right? What do you think of it?"

"Well, it all sounds unbelievable. But… I think I'd better start believing it, given the evidence..." Mikado said and lifted up the folder she was holding.

"Wait, you found the old medical records, Mikado-sensei?" Yuzuru asked, and now it was my turn to raise an eyebrow. _Evidence? Medical records? What do they mean? I was sure Mikado-sensei was going to think we're crazy, or something._

"It took a bit of digging, but I did. It's still not _solid_ evidence, but, as you said this morning, it's pretty difficult to find solid evidence for something like this." Mikado said and took some papers out of the folder, then began to read out loud. "Donor: Otonashi Yuzuru. Died after sustaining major injuries from a train crash and being trapped underground without proper food or water for a week." I saw Yuzuru's eyes light up and a smile forming on his face as we listened to Mikado.

"That's me! Or, rather, _was_ me. Right before I died, I marked on my life insurance card that I would give my consent for my organs to be donated to those who needed them. Does it say if… I was able to save anyone?" Yuzuru asked from Mikado as she paused.

"I'm getting to that." Mikado replied and started to read out loud again. "Recipients: Kimura Ryouhei, left kidney, transplant successful. Ogata Megumi, right kidney, transplant successful. Sakurai Harumi, liver, transplant successful. Sawashiro Miyuki, pancreas, transplant successful. And finally..." Mikado glanced towards Yuzuru, then to me, before returning her gaze to the paper in her hands. "...Tachibana Kanade, heart, transplant successful." I saw Yuzuru's eyes widen in shock and surprise, his mouth hanging open as his jaw nearly hit the floor. _Kanade already knew this, and told it to me, so it's not that big of a surprise to me._ "I'll tell you, these records are _old_. They're from before the whole system was digitalized, and definitely from before either of you were born. Given the fact that this person shares the exact same name as you do, and that you know about everything written here – something which should by all means be impossible – I can't really argue against you on this. What I find interesting, though, is the final name on the list. Wasn't Tachibana Kanade one of your other friends?" I glanced at Yuzuru, who seemed to still be recovering from his initial shock.

"She is, and she is like us. And… I believe the person listed there is – or _was_ – her. Kanade… told me about it yesterday, how she regained many all of her memories relating to you, Yuzuru." I said and turned to look at Yuzuru. "When you… _fell asleep_ on her on Thursday, she was able to feel your heartbeat very closely. And that allowed her to regain all of the memories she had of you from the Afterlife, including that you were the her donor in her previous life." Yuzuru simply looked at me with shock written all over his face.

"So I was… Kanade's donor… But… wait… If I saved Kanade's life with my heart… how did we meet in the Afterlife, then? Hinata's explanation made it seem like Kanade was in the Afterlife _before_ I arrived there." _That's… a good point, actually…_

"If… I'm allowed to comment on that..." Mikado spoke up, and the two of us looked towards her. "Something like the Afterlife… is not supported by science. If that's the case, why would it obey the laws of nature? Time as a concept may not work the same way in such a place as it does here for us."

"That's true… Hinata did say that we never aged in the Afterlife, and couldn't die..." I said as I looked upwards and brought a hand to my chin, trying to remember everything Hinata told us on Wednesday.

"It… makes sense. By... _not_ making any sense. But, that seems to be the norm when we're dealing with our pasts..." Yuzuru said with a thoughtful look on his face, then looked towards Mikado again. "So… does that mean you believe us?"

"As I said, with this evidence… There's not much I can do apart from that. There is no way otherwise that you could have accurate knowledge about these things, given how hard it is to gain access to them. And everything matches too well to be a coincidence. So, I guess I do believe you." Mikado said with a smile. "But… we are but a small group of people. The rest of the world will not believe you without concrete proof."

"We don't need for the rest of the world to believe us." Yuzuru replied. "As long as those closest to us understand us, we'll be fine." he finished with a smile, before turning back to me. "Anyway, you remember your previous life now, just like me. What… was it like?"

"Oh, right. I didn't tell you yet. I spoke with Hatsune-chan about it a little, but..." I bit my lip and held onto my right hand with my left, squeezing the bandage slightly.

"Was it… tragic like Hinata's, Yui's and Iwasawa-san's lives were?" Yuzuru asked carefully, as if being afraid of stepping on a landmine, and I nodded to him as an answer.

"It's fine. There's just… some strong feelings associated with some of my memories. I'll tell you, but… I'm sorry if I cry." I replied and smiled, then took a deep breath to calm myself as I began telling Yuzuru and Mikado about everything I remembered.

I told them about my family, and my life in general, and how fun and happy it was. Recalling the times I played with my siblings, or went on a family vacation filled me with happiness, and I had no doubt that the two of them could see it from my expressions and hear it from my voice. Then… came the time to talk about the biggest tragedy of my life. The faithful day where I lost everything dear to me in a mere thirty minutes. Unlike with Hatsune, I didn't hold back, and let my tears flow as I told them about all the pain I went through – both emotional and physical – during that faithful half an hour, and long after it. I explained to them all the bitterness and pure _hatred_ I had towards the 'all-mighty and benevolent god' who could let innocent children die in such a brutal manner, and how I felt like I would do _anything_ to get back at whatever entity saw fit for such an unjust punishment. After I had calmed my emotions down thanks to Mikado's mother-like consoling, I finished off with telling them about my death, which happened – quite unceremoniously – after getting hit by a car while I was at a bus stop. I felt quite emotionally – and to some extent, physically – exhausted afterwards, and found myself sitting down on the bed next to Yuzuru's legs.

"Quite an interesting, and tragic story, to say the least." Mikado was the first to speak after I finished. "If I already didn't have proof of Yuzuru's story, I would question its validity, but… I don't see any reason for that, now."

"It's… good that you understand, Mikado-sensei." Yuzuru said, then turned to look at me. "I'm… really sorry. Compared to what I went through, your life was… much more worse."

"You don't have to be sorry, Yuzuru." I replied with a smile and placed a hand on top Yuzuru's legs, which brought a slight blush to his cheeks, even though there wasn't any direct contact due to the blanket, and I saw Mikado smirked out of the corner of my eye. _It makes me happy that I have such an effect on him, but…_ Hatsune's words about confessing to him came to my mind. _No, I can't do it. It would be way too embarrassing! And…_ _I have to take Kanade into consideration as well. If Yuzuru has feelings for the both us, like we suspect…_

"R-right, of course." Yuzuru said and averted his gaze from me, pulling me out of my thoughts. "So… I guess next up is recovering our memories from our time in the Afterlife. I don't remember anything, where as you remember a little bit, and Tachibana-san… has all of her memories relating to _me_ , which… I still find quite odd."

"It is, but that's what she told me. She remembers events where you're present, but everything else is hazy." I left out the more specific details, for obvious reasons. _I can't tell Yuzuru that Kanade loves him, and that she believes he loves her as well… And with the whole 'heart donor' business as well… It really is as if they're fated to be together._

"Right, so the three of us still need to somehow recover the rest of our memories, specifically the ones about our time in the Afterlife. I especially, given that..." Yuzuru paused and looked a little panicked. _What was that about? He was about to say something just now…_ " _Ahem_. Never mind. Any ideas, Yuri?"

"Huh? Well… not really, no. Iwasawa-san said that best thing we could try to do could be… _interacting_ with those we were close with in the Afterlife, and hope that something similar to what happened to me yesterday happens with them and triggers your memories to return. Or then go with Kanade's plan and try to find and follow the things that cause Déjà-vu for us." As I spoke, an idea of how both Yuzuru and Kanade could regain their memories came to me. _If… If they spent more time together…_ I quickly shook the thought away, but wondered if Kanade had come to the same conclusion as I had. _I… don't want to think about it._

"Hmm… so either relying on _fate_ to happen upon something that will let us remember everything, or following fate's lead to the answers… Not that many options, are there?" _Fate…_ Yuzuru said and turned to Mikado. "Aren't there ways to 'jog one's memory' through medicine, or any scientific methods to help regain lost memories?" Yuzuru asked from Mikado, but I was completely absorbed in my own thoughts. _Following along with fate, or relying solely on fate… Yuzuru and Kanade,_ fated _to be together… No, there is a third option._

"Hmm… There are certain medicines that can help with improving one's memory, or help with recovering from memory loss, but… They're mostly suited towards people who suffer from Alzheimer's or Dementia. As for scientific methods… I'm not too sure. However… this is a very interesting situation. I could try to see if I can find anything that would help you two. I'd consider it… a challenge, and an opportunity to study your… _supernatural_ phenomenon, so to speak." Mikado replied to Yuzuru. _The third option… I don't have to follow fate's every whim. That has never been in my nature, now more than ever, since I've regained my memories._

"I can't thank you enough, Mikado-sensei. You're willing to do so much for us." _That's right… even Kashou-san said it. Fate can be changed._ I felt my hands balling up into fists, and Yuzuru turned to look at me, no doubt suddenly feeling a change where my hand laid on his leg.

 _And I'm more than willing to change the course of fate, if it allows Yuzuru and I to be together._

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 **AN: Not much plot-wise happening in this chapter, but the next chapter will definitely have more development. We're getting close to the end, not too many chapters to go any more! I've got the layout and ideas for the next chapter ready, and I'll try to get around to writing it as soon as possible. But, that all depends on how quickly I can get the next chapters for my other two stories out, so we shall see.  
Until then, cheerio!**


	11. Chapter 11 - Visitors

**AN: Hello, my dear readers! A bit of a delay on this chapter, since the last days of school kept me more occupied than I would have wanted, but now summer vacation has arrived! And since I don't have any unpaid work this summer, I have loads of free time to use as I wish – mostly on Anime and writing, as usual.**

 **Without any further delay, let's get this chapter underway!**

* * *

 **Chapter 11 – Visitors**

"Rise and shine, Otonashi-kun! You're not so injured that you need to lay down in bed all day!" A voice pulled me out of my peaceful slumber, and I could hear the curtains in front of the window being moved. _Who… Is here this early…_ I stirred in my bed and slowly opened eyes, but the sudden burst of light from the window forced me to close my eyes again with a groan. "Oh, he's awake." A sudden shadow blocked the sunlight, and I opened one of my eyes again to meet a girl's face extremely close to mine. "Yo! Sleep well?" The girl asked, and after a few seconds of waking up, I realized who my human alarm clock was.

"Iwasawa-san..? What are you doing here?" I asked, and the girl pulled herself back away from me, so I sat up on my bed and rubbed the sleep out of my eyes. _What… time is it?_

"Did Yuri not tell you that I was going to visit? Well, if she didn't, it's a bit late for that now. But, I didn't get here to wake you up on my own." Iwasawa replied and gestured to the other side of the room, where I could see Doctor Mikado leaning against a wall with a coffee cup in her hands.

"Good morning, Otonashi-kun. Usually, visitors aren't allowed in this early, but I made a little exception with Iwasawa-san here, since she seemed to be quite eager to meet you." Mikado said, then took a sip from her coffee. And as usual, she was dressed quite provocatively for a doctor, her labcoat only covering so much of her cleavage. "As the doctor assigned to you, I'll just be doing a quick check-up, then I'll leave you two alone." She then continued as she made her way over to me, placing the coffee cup on the table next to my bed. Iwasawa sat down in the chair as Mikado took out a small flashlight and leaned closer to me, causing me to blush slightly as her cleavage was made _even more_ prominent with the position she was currently in. "I know you've literally just woken up, but try to keep your eyes open." I nodded to Mikado and stifled the blush on my cheeks as she cupped the side of my head with her left hand, and pointed the flashlight towards my right eye with the other. The light made me want to close my eyes, but I tried my damnest to keep them open, tears threatening to spill from them any second as Mikado examined both of my eyes in turn. "Everything seems to be okay. I want you to stand up and walk around a little for me." I nodded to Mikado as she pocketed the flashlight and moved back to allow me to get up from bed.

"Hah! Look at you, Otonashi-kun, being ordered around by an older woman! Although, I guess you're at least _somewhat_ used to following the orders of a woman." Iwasawa said and giggled as she watched me get up, then proceed to strafe back and forth in front of Mikado. _I… guess she's referring to the time I spent in the Afterlife, as Yuri was supposedly the leader of the SSS, which I was a part of… Though I can't remember any of that, now._

"Hmm… At least you don't seem to wobble like a drunkard while walking. Feeling dizzy at all? Hazy vision?" Mikado asked as she wrote down the results check-up, then continued with a smirk on her face. "And I do believe that young Otonashi-kun here _enjoys_ being told what to do by a woman." I let out a small sigh as the two of them giggled together.

"You two…" I pinched the bridge of my nose in annoyance. _What is it with the women I know wanting to tease me? Well, at least I can count on Kanade not doing it,_ _for the world would probably end the day I saw Kanade doing something like that._ "Anyway, no, I don't feel dizzy at all, and my eyesight's fine." I said to Mikado, then sat back down on the bed.

"That's good to hear. Given your condition, I'd say you won't stay here for much longer, Otonashi-kun. I'd be willing to bet that you'll be able to go home in a day or two." Mikado said to me with a smile. "Now, before I go… Nakamura-san mentioned her yesterday, so I've been wondering... Is Iwasawa-san one of _those_ friends of yours? Because if so..." Mikado said and glanced towards Iwasawa, who raised an eyebrow in question.

"Ah, I get what you mean. Yes, she is. Iwasawa-san is one the three people we know who remembers everything about their past life, as well as the Afterlife." Iwasawa's eyes widened as her gaze shifted between Mikado and I.

"Wait, Otonashi-kun? You've… told Mikado-sensei about that?" Iwasawa asked, and the two of us nodded to her.

"He has, just yesterday, actually. While I was a little sceptical at first, some old medical files 'proved' his story to some extent, so I'm willing to believe it." Mikado said to Iwasawa and flipped over to a different page on the clipboard she was holding. "Now, since you apparently remember everything from this 'Afterlife'… I'd like you to tell me a little about it."

"Huh?" Iwasawa seemed shocked by Mikado's words, and turned to me.

"I've told her about our special Déjà-vu, and the things I knew about the Afterlife, based on what you and Hinata told us. And, she managed to find some evidence about my previous life. Yuri also told us how she regained her memories as well, but as neither of us remember anything – or in Yuri's case, _barely_ anything – about the Afterlife, we couldn't really 'sate her curiosity' on that matter." I explained to Iwasawa.

"That's right. I decided that I'd take it upon myself to investigate this matter, since it does intrigue me, which is why I'd like to hear your story as well, Iwasawa-san, given that you _do_ retain the knowledge about the Afterlife." Mikado said to Iwasawa with a smile.

"Oh, alright. I didn't expect that you'd go and tell others about this, Otonashi-kun, so I was a little surprised. But I'm more surprised that you believe this, Mikado-sensei..." Iwasawa scratched her cheek a little awkwardly, then cleared her throat. "So, you said that it _intrigues_ you? What do you want to hear?" Iwasawa said to Mikado with her previous, more cheerful attitude, as her confusion was cleared.

"Preferably, everything, but that might take too much time, so… If you could tell me about this _Afterlife_ in general. What was it like? What was there? That kind of stuff." Mikado replied, and I nodded along with her, as I was also curious, given my lack of memories. Hinata had already told us some things, but I wanted to hear what Iwasawa had to tell us about the matter.

After a brief moment of consideration, Iwasawa began her – supposedly – brief, but informative explanation. She told us how the Afterlife was an enigma to pretty much everyone within it, and we knew very little about it. Based on the fact that everyone there had lived short, despair-filled lives, it was concluded that the Afterlife was a place for teenagers to live the youth they didn't get to experience, so they can move on without any regrets and be reincarnated. No-one knew how large the Afterlife was, but it consisted of a High School surrounded by seemingly endless forests and mountains. Apart from those sent there, it was inhabited by some animals – such as fish – as well as beings that resembled humans, but didn't possess a _soul_ , dubbed "NPCs".

Then Iwasawa recounted some of the "rules" of the Afterlife, though no-one knew why or how these "rules" existed, or were governed. No-one could die in the Afterlife, but would experience the pain of doing so, if something life-threatening were to happen. After someone "died", they would simply wake up some time later, as if they had been simply unconscious. No-one could also age, including the NPCs, and time itself didn't seem to matter, or _exist_ in the Afterlife, though days and weeks seemingly passed as normal. Perhaps the most interesting thing – at least according to Mikado – was that _anyone_ could create anything, _out of_ anything, within the Afterlife, as long as one had knowledge of what they were creating.

Mikado was constantly taking notes of everything the red-haired girl said, and asked her about many things, which – even though I had already heard most of the things Iwasawa mentioned from Hinata – lead into a discussion that even I was able to enjoy listening to, as the information about the Afterlife was welcome, and some of the things Iwasawa mentioned did make me feel a sense of familiarity. While at first this was supposed to be a "quick check-up" for Mikado, she got completely engrossed in Iwasawa's explanation, and by the time she noticed what time it was, it had already been well over fifteen minutes.

"...I see, so that's how… Oh! Look at the time!" Mikado happened to glance at her watch as she was writing down something. "Well, this has been very insightful, Iwasawa-san, and I wish I could stay and listen for longer, but _unfortunately_ , Otonashi-kun isn't my only patient." Mikado said as she organized the notes she had taken and got ready to leave.

"Oh, I've been talking for a while, haven't I?" Iwasawa said as she noticed how long she had conversed with Mikado for. "But, it was nice talking about this stuff with you. It makes me happy to know that there's someone willing to believe our unbelievable – but _true –_ stories." She then continued with a smile, which Mikado returned to her, then turned to me.

"I'll probably come around later today, Otonashi-kun, and Doctor Akagi will most likely come see you as well." Mikado said to me, and I gave her a brief nod as a reply. "And I get the feeling that Iwasawa-san here won't be your only visitor today. Get ready for a busy day. I'll see you around!" As she finished, Mikado gave me a little wave, before turning around to leave.

"Yeah, see you, Mikado-sensei!" I replied with a wave of my own, though with her back turned to me, she couldn't see it. After Mikado closed the door behind her, I turned to look at Iwasawa again. "So… Any reason you came to visit me?" I asked from her.

"Hm? What, am I not allowed to visit a friend in the hospital out of the goodness of my heart?" Iwasawa said with a slightly teasing tone as she crossed her arms under her chest. _I almost expected her to poke me then, or something… I've probably spent too much time with Yuri…_

"Well… I guess you're right. Sorry, it's just that… I haven't known you for that long. Although, I haven't really known Yuri, or Tachibana-san for that much longer either, but… I've… _interacted_ with them more, I guess?" I replied as I awkwardly rubbed the back of my neck.

"Oh, I get you. But, in my point of view… I've known you for a long time, Otonashi-kun. Well, not as long as say, Hinata has, given that dis… _reincarnated_ before all of you did, but still, much longer than the… what, two weeks? That we've known each other for in this life?" Iwasawa brought a finger to her chin, and I found myself thinking back on the day I first met Iwasawa. _It was the day I went shopping with Hatsune, a few days after my first encounter with Yuri… I think it was exactly two weeks ago, now. Not that long, in the grand scheme of things._ "Something like that, anyway." Iwasawa continued after a couple of seconds of silence. "But, yeah. To me, it feels like we've been friends for longer than that." The red-haired girl paused for a brief moment, and a slight smirk appeared on her face. "And hey, if you count the time we shared an _indirect kiss_ , I'd say we're pretty close." I felt my cheeks heating up slightly at Iwasawa's words, and briefly, my eyes shot towards Iwasawa's lips as they curved into a larger smirk upon seeing my reaction.

"W-what do you mean by that, Iwasawa-san?" I asked, trying to keep my composure, as the mere _mention_ of a kiss – indirect or not – made me flustered, and brought me back memories of the time Yuri and I nearly kissed while we were alone in mine and Hatsune's apartment.

"It was back in the Afterlife. You came to visit me and my band as we were practising, and I ended up telling about my past when we had a break. Before I returned to my bandmates, I gave you my water bottle – which I had already drank from. But, you won't remember any of that, of course." I lightly pinched the bridge of my nose and inwardly let out a sigh of relief as Iwasawa finished. _The way she worded it initially made it seem like it was something_ more _than just sharing a water bottle… Heh, look at me, getting flustered over the thought of an indirect kiss like a high school girl. Though I guess it doesn't help that my experience with these kinds of things_ is _that of a high school girl's… And the feelings I now have towards Yuri and Kanade certainly aren't making things easier…_ I lightly shook my head and cleared my throat as I looked back at Iwasawa, meeting her gaze with mine.

"You are correct, I don't remember anything like that. So, to me, as long as I can't remember it, it didn't happen. And, how can you be sure that I actually drank from the bottle? You said that you left after you gave your bottle to me, right?" I replied to Iwasawa and crossed my arms, somewhat proud with my little 'comeback'. _This banter… It kinda feels like I'm with Yuri, but without the awkwardness that I now get whenever I'm around her… Although, while this is somewhat nice,_ _I feel like i_ _t's…_ missing _something._ _Something that… only Yuri and I have together…_

"Well… You might be correct. Another reason to get all of your memories back soon, eh?" Iwasawa said and smiled at me, staying silent for a few moments. "You know, I can see why Yuri enjoys your company, Otonashi-kun. And I now know _why_ she likes teasing you so much." The smile twisted into a smirk as I let out a little awkward laugh. "Speaking of her, and given our current topic of indirect kisses… How _far_ have you actually gone with a girl, Otonashi-kun? I'm curious." I flinched a little and then froze in place at Iwasawa's question. _What kind of question is that?! And what does Yuri have to do with it? Does Iwasawa-san think I have_ that _kind of relationship with Yuri? Or does she know that I… have_ feelings _towards her?_ I mentally panicked for a moment, but came to my senses quickly enough. _No, there's no reason as to why she would think that. Nor is there any way that she'd know about my feelings. But it's still an embarrassing question!_

"I… Well..." I managed to get out of my mouth after multiple seconds of silence, but couldn't find the words to follow up with. _Should I… just be honest? I guess it won't hurt…_ "My… experience with with women is… Not a lot." I admitted to Iwasawa, feeling the heat returning to my cheeks.

"What, really? Noooo, you must be joking. Not even first base?" Iwasawa seemed genuinely shocked, which was only amplified when I shook my head as a reply.

"I've… never even had a girlfriend, so… Not even first base..." I felt my embarrassment growing with each moment as I confessed the depth – or lack thereof – about my relationships with the opposite gender. _Yuri is the girl I've gotten closest to during my life… If we don't count Hatsune, of course._

"Unbelievable. Though, I guess that means that someone could _swoop in_ and take your _first kiss_ , eh?" Iwasawa said as she leaned closer to me, and I found myself recoiling back, eliciting a giggle from the girl. "I jest, of course. But I am seriously surprised that you've never had a girlfriend. You _are_ good-looking, you know? And you're really easy to talk with, and your personality is quite charming as well. So… How come you've never been in a relationship?" The compliments that Iwasawa gave me felt genuine, and I averted my gaze from her as my cheeks flushed again.

"Well… It probably has to do with the fact that I was never really that… _popular_. Back in middle school, everyone made fun of me, or thought I was crazy, when I spoke about my Déjà-vu. And then in High School… I was a bit of loner back then. Not many chances to… _hook up_." I explained to Iwasawa, and she gave me an understanding nod as a reply. "What about you then? Do _you_ have any experience, Iwasawa-san?"

"Eh? M-me?" Iwasawa flinched back in her seat and raised her hands defensively, my question catching her off-guard. _Oh? Could it be… That Iwasawa-san is as inexperienced as I am?_ _I wonder… Does Yuri have any experience? She hasn't told me about any possible boyfriends, and I was the first guy she was able to properly get close to..._ "I… _Ahem_. Of course, I've had… you know… _boyfriends_." Iwasawa said, her gaze flickering to meet mine every now and then, though she kept it averted from me as much as possible.

"Oh, is that so? How far have you gone with them, then?" I pressed on with my attack, determined to get back at Iwasawa for my earlier embarrassment. _My daily interactions with Yuri have made me a veteran on the battlefield of banter and teasing, and while I let my guard down around Iwasawa-san, I'm now ready for a counterattack!_ _Come to think of it… She's been on my mind a lot, hasn't she? Even when I'm with Iwasawa-san like this…_

"I… Um… S-second base..." Iwasawa replied a little awkwardly after a few seconds, and I unconsciously found my gaze shifting from Iwasawa's eyes down to her chest, which I now noted to be slightly bigger in size than Yuri's. _So someone has gotten to… No, I need to get rid of that train of thought immediately!_ "A-anyway, what I was going for with this, was that I think it's time for you to _get it on_ with somebody. You're in the prime of your youth, Otonashi-kun, and you're only going to get older from here!" Iwasawa then said and pointed towards me with her index finger, her expression turning from awkward to excited in a split second.

"G-get it on? I-I don't… But… Aren't you in a similar situation?" I asked, and Iwasawa lowered her hand, but her expression remained unchanged. _She's starting to sound like Hatsune…_

"At least _I_ have experience, unlike you, Otonashi-kun. Besides, I'm older than you, so you _have to_ listen to me – especially when it comes to _relationship advice_." Iwasawa crossed her arms under her chest again, and I let out a sigh of defeat. _Yep, she's as relentless with this as Hatsune is… I never took Iwasawa-san for someone who would care so much about something like this, though…_ "So, I know that you know a bunch of pretty girls, I mean, I _am_ one of them, after all. Any of them your type? There has to be _someone_ you fancy out of all them, right?"

"I..." I averted my gaze from Iwasawa again as I thought about her words. _Certainly, I_ do _fancy someone… Two people, in fact. I've fallen for both_ _Yuri_ and _Kanade, but I don't really know why, or how that happened… It has to have something to do with my Déjà-vu, that's the only thing sure about it._ "Why… do I have to tell you something like that? I mean… Yes, all the girls I know are… _pretty_ , but I don't know about a type..." I replied after a few seconds of consideration as I looked back at Iwasawa.

"I'm just trying to help you, Otonashi-kun. Look, it's just too _pathetic_ for a guy of your caliber, and… _age_ to be a _virgin_ with no romantic experience!" _You… said that you've only gone as far as second base yourself, though…_ "Why not try your luck with one of the girls you know? You got the best chances with them, after all, and I don't think you should waste those chances."

"I… won't say that you're _wrong_ , but… This is a bit sudden, and I don't think..." I rubbed the back of my neck again, and Iwasawa interrupted me with a heavy sigh.

"That attitude won't get you a girl, Otonashi-kun. Okay, how about this: Yuri. What do you think of her? Don't you think you could hit it off with her? And you knew her in the Afterlife, so you two have some history together – even if you don't remember it any more. Even Hinata and Yui are together because of that, you know?" I felt a blush rising to my cheeks at the mention of Yuri, and for a brief moment, I swear I saw Iwasawa's eyes _sparkling_.

"You're right, but… I also have history with Tachibana-san. I was her _donor_ , and according to Hinata, I was really close with her in the Afterlife..."

"O-oh… Well… T-that just means that you have chances with the both of them, right? But… What do you mean by _donor_?" Iwasawa raised an eyebrow in question. _Oh, right, she wouldn't know about that, would she?_

"In my previous life, I had given my consent for my organs to be donated, and Tachibana-san was the recipient for my _heart_. I only found out about yesterday, when Mikado-sensei found some old medical records, but according to Yuri… Tachibana-san already knew of it. Apparently, she regained some of her memories from the Afterlife on Thursday – all the memories about _me_ , including the fact that I was her donor." I explained to Iwasawa, who adopted a thoughtful look onto her face for a few moments before responding.

"They… visited me on Friday, but didn't tell me anything like that… Yuri only told me how you recovered your memories about your past life, but nothing about Tachibana-san… But why would they leave out such a significant detail, especially since they came to me for help in regaining their own memories? Do you… know _what_ caused Tachibana-san's memories to return?" Iwasawa's question made me recall Thursday's events, when I suddenly awakened feelings towards both Yuri and Kanade.

"I… believe I do. I won't go into too much detail, but… The combination of anaemia from Tachibana-san, and just plain old tiredness from me resulted in the two of us… _napping_ together. It was totally on accident, of course, but because of it, Tachibana-san was able to _feel_ my heartbeat, which… _triggered_ her memories returning. I can understand _why_ it happened, but it is still curious that she only remembers the things about _me_ , and nothing else – if Yuri is to be believed, that is." I explained to Iwasawa, whose brows furrowed as she tried to make sense of everything.

"Very interesting… But it still doesn't explain _why_ they didn't tell me about it, given that it sounds like it wasn't _that_ big of a deal… Unless… Unless it _is_ a bigger deal than Yuri let on."

"What… do you mean by that?" I tilted my head in confusion at Iwasawa's words as her face became more serious.

"You said that you… _napped_ together with Tachibana-san. What… happened after that? Did she say anything to you?" I went over Thursday's's events again. _Oh, she definitely said something._

"She… acted a little… _odd_ afterwards, and she said some… _interesting_ things. But… I… I don't really want to talk about it, and also… I left before she had a chance to say anything coherent to me." _Could the things she said explain it, though?_ _She asked me if I regained any memories… Not really, apart from the dream I had back then…_ "...I don't think any of it explains why Yuri and Tachibana-san wouldn't tell you about Tachibana-san regaining a portion of her memories."

"Hmm… It is very curious… But, our best bet is to ask Tachibana-san herself. If she's willing to talk about it, that its." Iwasawa looked thoughtful for a moment, then shook her head a little and looked back at me, her previous excited smile having returned to her face. "Anyway, back on topic – your love life!" I facepalmed and let out a small groan. _I had hope that we were done with that topic already…_

Despite my best efforts, Iwasawa was very adamant about "helping" me with love life (or rather, doing something about the lack thereof), and we ended up talking about the subject for an extended period of time. The most bizarre thing was, though, that it was _Iwasawa_ who was giving me relationship advice. If it was Hatsune, I wouldn't give it a second thought since that's the way she was, but with Iwasawa… I would never have expected that she would the kind to do something like this, and while we conversed, I almost got the feeling that she was trying to _hook me up_ with someone, more precisely…

Hook me up with _Yuri_.

I had managed to keep my feelings in check, so there was no way Iwasawa knew of my _affection_ towards Yuri and Kanade, but I couldn't shake off the feeling that there was something _more_ to her words than just "relationship advice". And the fact that she seemed to constantly divert the conversation towards Yuri… It definitely felt like she was trying to set something up.

In the end, I was saved by Doctor Akagi, who came to do some more in-depth tests on me in place of Mikado. She was surprised that Iwasawa was there to visit me, since – as Mikado had said earlier – visitors aren't allowed to come in so early, but once she learned that Mikado was the one who let her in, she shrugged the whole thing off with a "I see..." and a heavy sigh, then went on to say that Mikado is sometimes too carefree for a doctor – which I wholly agree with, if her choice of attire is anything to go by. In any case, Iwasawa took her leave after Doctor Akagi's arrival, telling me to "put some though into what we talked about" before she closed the door behind her. Akagi questioned me about Iwasawa's words, but I shrugged it off as being nothing important, and she began her thorough examination of both my physical and psychological condition.

* * *

 _...Should I do it? Just one press of a button…_

My finger hovered over the "call" button on my cellphone, with the name "Otonashi Yuzuru" displayed on screen. I had stayed in this position for a while now as I contemplated whether or not to call Yuzuru. _Realistically, I should just do it, right? I want to talk with him, after all. But… Something like this… Might be better to say face-to-face…_ I brought my finger down, just brushing past the call button as I scrolled upwards on the contact list, my eyes meeting the name of another person close to me. _We both said that we didn't want to lose to the other, and then agreed that we'd focus on recovering our memories first, but… I can't go on like this. Besides…_ I found my grip on my phone tightening as I stared at the girl's name displayed on the screen.

 _If it's a way for me to regain all of my memories… I should be allowed to do it, even if… even if it's not_ fair _for_ her _, right?_

* * *

"Haaaaah… That was more exhausting than I expected..." I said to myself as I laid down on the hospital bed and stared up at the ceiling. _I feel like taking a nap…_ I thought and closed my eyes.

Doctor Akagi's examinations and tests had taken a bigger toll on me than I had expected, and right afterwards, Takiya came to visit me as well. While Takiya could be a good friend sometimes, interacting with him could be a pain, and I was left mentally taxed after speaking with him right after Akagi's examinations. _A little nap won't hurt._ I turned to my side and briefly opened my eyes, readying myself for a nice nap, when I noticed my phone on the table next to my bed. _Oh, right, I got a message from someone while Akagi-sensei was examining me, and I never looked at who sent it to me._ I reluctantly sat up on my bed and reached out for my phone. _Let's see, then…_ _Oh, it's from Yui-san._

 _"_ _Yuzuru-kun._

 _I know I said to you yesterday that I would call you,_ _but I ended up being busier than I thought, so I sent you this message instead. Anyway, this was just to let you know that I'll be coming there to visit you, alright? You better be ready!_

 _Kotegawa Yui"_

I found myself smiling at the text message, clearly seeing Yui's handiwork in it. _It was sent 16 minutes ago… I don't know where Yui-san lives, but I'll just have a quick nap before she gets here._ I placed my phone back on the table and lied down on the bed again, closing my eyes as I did to settle in for a nice nap. After a few minutes of lying down, I was on the verge of falling asleep, when I was shaken back awake by a knock on my door. I lazily opened one of my eyes and glanced towards the door, but decided that my nap was more important than whoever was behind the door. _If it's Mikado-sensei or Akagi-sensei, they'll either come in or call out to me from inside… If Takiya-kun came back, I'd rather sleep than talk with him more… And it can't be Yui-san, not this early._ I turned to my side and settled back into trying to fall asleep.

"Yuzuru-kun?" I heard a faint, female voice coming from outside the door, though with it being slightly muffled, I couldn't quite tell who it was in my half-asleep state. "I'm coming in, Yuzuru-kun." I stirred slightly in my bed as the door to my room was opened. _They're.. coming in?_ _Who could it be, then?_ "Yuzuru-kun..? Oh! You're asleep? S-sorry..." I heard the voice say, much more clearly now, and I shifted so I was lying on my back again. _Guess I have to postpone my nap, then…_

"...Not any more." I said quietly as I opened my eyes, and was about to lift my head when I saw someone leaning over me, their hand a few centimetres away from my head, and their face not too far behind. Both of us froze in place for multiple seconds, which was enough time for my groggy brain to shake itself awake properly. "Yui...san?" At the mention of her name, the raven-haired girl twitched, then quickly pulled her hand away and moved her head back, her face overcome with a bright blush.

"A-ah, s-sorry. I-I was just… going to s-see if you were awake or n-not. Yes, t-that's it." Yui said and paused for a bit, clearing her throat before continuing. "Did… you not get my message? Where I said I was going to come see you?" She then asked as I sat up in the bed, stretching a little.

"Oh, I did. I just didn't think you'd get here in a quarter hour. Sorry."

"Y-you don't have to be. I… sent that message after I had already left, since… Um… A-anyway, d-did you not get enough sleep last night?" Yui asked as she sat down next to the bed, gently placing her bag on the floor.

"I did, but Doctor Akagi's thorough examination, combined with having to deal with Takiya-kun drained me. I was hoping I could have a quick nap before you arrived, but that idea is out of the window, now. I am glad that you were able to visit me, though." I said to Yui with a smile, and a slight blush returned to her cheeks. "So, you got over your sickness, then?" My question seemed to surprise Yui, as she flinched back a little.

"Y-yes, I did. It wasn't… anything too serious. And… I… ran into Takiya-kun on the way here, actually. His visit was a quick one, but… Do you… not like him?" Yui asked, steering the conversation away from herself.

"Well… It's not that I _don't_ like him, just… I don't know. Takiya-kun is a good friend, and he was genuinely concerned for me when he came to visit me, but… He talks too much, and likes to stick his nose into things that shouldn't concern him. After his initial show of concern… he went on to pestering me about various things that I won't go into. But, he is a good friend – when he's in the mood for such things." I finished with a slight chuckle, and could see a smile on Yui's face as well. Soon, though, the smile was gone, replaced by a grimace instead.

"Have you..." Yui started hesitantly as her gaze flickered to mine and back away from it. "...Recovered from your short-term memory loss yet, Yuzuru-kun?" _She's asking about it again…_

"No, I have not. I've otherwise pretty much fully recovered, so I'll be able to leave once I've recovered my memories. At least, that's what Akagi-sensei thinks, but it will be up to Mikado-sensei to decided that." Yui gave me a slow nod as an answer, but I could tell there was something troubling her. "Yui-san… You… were with me on Friday, right? Did… something happen between the two of us? Something that… I _don't remember_?" Yui's eyes widened, and she looked away from me as she bit her lip.

"I… I…" Yui's hands balled into fists, and she began to tremble. Then, she took a deep breath and faced me again. "I'm… sorry. I… don't know what happened to you. I hope that… You're able to recover from your memory loss." Yui said to me with a somewhat forced smile on her face. _Your words and actions don't match up… But… Whatever happened, it's troubling Yui-san, and she doesn't want to talk about it. And if she doesn't want to talk about it… I won't pry any further._

"Oh, that's a shame. I guess we won't know exactly what happened to me until my memory comes back." I said and laid back on the bed slightly. "But, no matter. You came here to visit me because I'm injured, and that's all that matters, right?" I then said to Yui with a smile, looking deep into her brown eyes as I did.

"Y-yes, of course. I'm… glad to see that you've recovered." Yui said and smiled back at me, then perked up, as if she had remembered something. "Oh, right! I… visited the convenience store on the way, and..." Yui reached down for her bag and began to open it. "I… felt like b-buying you something, Yuzuru-kun, so if you d-don't mind..." With a slight blush on her face, Yui brought out a can of green tea, – the same brand as the one I often drink at school – a bar of _Meiji_ milk chocolate, a package of strawberry-flavoured _Pocky_ , and finally, a Magazine with an Anime character featured on the front page.

" _Newtype_? And this tea..." I said as I took the magazine from Yui, who placed the other items on the table next to the bed.

"I-I d-didn't really know what y-you'd like so I j-just kind of… I've heard you t-talk about Anime and s-stuff with some of our classmates, so… A-and I've o-only really seen you d-drink that tea, and coffee occasionally... It's f-fine if you don't l-like it..." As Yui was babbling on and on, I reached out with my free hand and took hers into my own, causing the girl to freeze up immediately.

"Don't worry about it, Yui-san. Isn't it the thought that matters the most when you're giving a gift to someone?" I asked from the surprised girl with a smile. " _Arigatou_ , Yui-san." I gave her hand a light squeeze, which seemed to bring her back from her daze.

"A-ah, right, o-of course..." Yui replied, then looked down at our hands, and a bright blush appeared on her face. Looking at her blushing face also caused my cheeks to heat up, and I quickly pulled my hand back. _That was… awkward. I did it to reassure her, but it backfired a little…_ " _Ahem_. I'm… glad that you like it, Yuzuru-kun." Yui said to me after a few seconds of silence.

"Of course. I may not be as big of an _otaku_ as some of our classmates, but I do still enjoy my shows." I explained to Yui as I briefly glanced over the cover page of the magazine. _'Anime adaptation of Hashima Itsuki's_ Mahou Gakuen _announced'? Looks like the rumour was true… I wonder when it airs?_ I moved my gaze from the magazine back to Yui, and saw that she was intently staring at the girl drawn on the cover of the magazine. She had blonde hair, a cliché _loli_ body type, and wore a cheeky smile on her face. _Wait… Does Yui-san think… I was looking at_ her _?_ I fully turned my head back to Yui, and I noticed that she had moved one of her hands over her chest, her gaze still fixated on the magazine. _She totally does! I'm not a lolicon,_ _I swear_ _!_ "Um... so… Yui-san?" I said to bring to girl's attention to myself, which seemingly worked, as the raven-haired girl moved her gaze up from the magazine to meet mine. "Could I..?" I pointed towards the _Meiji_ bar on the table, which Yui's other hand was currently over.

"O-oh! R-right. Sorry." Yui snapped out of her daze and handed me the chocolate, and I used the opportunity to turn the magazine upside down, placing it on my lap as I took the chocolate from Yui. "Would you… have preferred a different brand? F-for… _future reference_." Yui asked a little sheepishly. _'Future reference'? So she… plans to_ _give me chocolate in the future as well? Or am I just reading too much into it?_

"Meiji is fine. It's one of the most popular brands for a reason." I replied as I opened the box and took a piece of chocolate into my mouth. "Mmmm… Really good..." I said as I chewed on the chocolate, then took another piece and offered it to Yui. "Here, you should have some too."

"Eh? M-me? But… I bought them for _you_..."

"Nonsense. I'm willing to share them with you, it's only fair." A devious thought came into my mind as Yui still hesitated to take the chocolate from me. "Alright, here, say ' _aaaah_ '" I began to slowly move my hand towards Yui, and more specifically, towards her _mouth_.

"Eh? Eh?! Y-Yuzuru-kun, wa-" As soon as Yui opened her mouth wide enough, I quickly pushed the piece of chocolate into her mouth, causing the girl's eyes to widen on shock, and her cheeks flaring up so much that their colour nearly matched my hair. A second later, Yui stood up and backed away from me while holding her hands over her mouth, her face redder than ever, and I was expecting steam to come out of her ears at any moment. _Well… I didn't expect that she'd be_ that _embarrassed by it… Maybe I shouldn't tease her as much as I do Yuri…_

"Um… Sorry, Yui-san. Did I… go too far? I'm… kinda used to teasing Yuri all the time, so..." Yui flinched as I spoke, then stayed motionless for a few seconds, before I heard her swallow, and she moved her hands away.

"I-it's fine. I-I just… didn't e-expect that… B-but… You shouldn't just do that kind of thing with a-anyone, you know?" Yui sat back down, and the blush on her face faded a little, though her cheeks still remained tinted red.

"I guess… I'm sorry, Yui-san. But… It was good, was it not?" I asked as I took another piece into my mouth.

"...It was..." Yui mumbled under her breath, and I let out a little chuckle.

After that, the two of us settled into a nice conversation as we worked our way through the _Meiji_ bar. Unlike with Takiya, talking with Yui felt _calming_ , and it was pleasant to just talk about random topics with her. I felt comfortable, similarly to how I felt when being together with Yuri, but in a… _different_ way. While with Yuri, our conversation was mostly banter and teasing, with lots of laughs from both of us, with Yui, it was more… _serene_ , and _soothing_ , but not… "overly polite", or _artificial_ in any way. While I had been friends with Yui for well over a week, now, this was the first time I had the chance to speak with her like this – and I enjoyed it. Before we knew it, we had eaten all of the chocolate, and it was only long after we had finished the box of _Pocky_ that we paid any attention to the time. As it turned out, Yui had stayed with me at the hospital for nearly two hours.

After a hurried farewell, Yui rushed out of the hospital so she could make it home in time, I was left alone once again. Just like when Takiya had left earlier, I felt sleepy, but it was n't in the same way as before. While conversing with Takiya had left me drained and tired, my current sleepiness came from how nice and _chill_ my time with Yui had been. _If someone had told me a few weeks ago that I would one day be able to talk with_ the _Kotegawa Yui like that, and_ enjoy _it, I would never have believed it in a million years. But now… I'm really glad that I was able to become friends with Yui-san._ As I let out a loud yawn, I closed my eyes and laid back down on the bed, ready to fall asleep any second. _Yui-san, Kanade, Yuri, and even Iwasawa-san…_

 _I'm really glad that I got to meet, and become friends with all of you._

* * *

 _...Here I am again..._

I stared at my phone's screen and adjusted my coat with my left hand. _I wonder when visiting time ends at the hospital..?_ I thought as I once again found myself contemplating on whether or not to call Yuzuru. _Well, standing here staring at his contact information won't do any good…_ I took a deep breath and dialled the number, bringing the phone up to my ear as I looked at my reflection in the mirror, my own eyes gazing back at me. _I've never gone out of my way to be presentable for anyone… until now._ After waiting for a good twenty seconds, the call went into voicemail, so I decided to end the call. _Yuzuru isn't answering… Oh well, I'll have to send him a message, then._ I began to write a short message to Yuzuru as I made my way outside, sending the message just as I closed my front door behind me. I took a deep breath of the outside air and gazed up at the cloudy sky. _I hope it doesn't rain… Though, I do have my umbrella with me, so I should be fine._ As I looked back down at my phone, about to put it back into my coat pocket, a particular name in my contacts list caught my eye. I stopped as I stared at the girl's name, not too far above Yuzuru's, and felt a tinge of guilt within me. _What I'm about to do… it isn't fair by any means, but… it's necessary._ I selected the girl's name, and began to write a message to her as well.

" _I'm sorry."_

I wanted to write more, I wanted to write about what I had thought about, about my plans, but couldn't find the right words, and only wrote the short, simple message currently displayed on screen. I felt a lump forming in my throat, but swallowed it down as I pressed the "send" button. _A necessary evil…_ After the message had been successfully sent, I shut down my phone and placed it into my pocket, then faced forwards, taking another deep breath before starting to make my way to the hospital. _A necessary evil, which cannot be avoided. After all…_

 _Fighting against Fate, or hoping to change it, is a futile effort._

* * *

 _It's… raining. But.. there's warmth, right next to me… It's a girl… Long, black hair… Brown eyes..._

" _Do you… have anyone you like?"_

 _D_ _id I just say that? I must have done, there's no-one else here..._

" _Eh?! W-what k-kind of q-question is t-that?"_

 _T_ _his voice… The hair and the eyes… Kotegawa Yui?_

" _I-I was just curious, t-that's all. Y-you don't have to answer if you don't want to..."_

 _I_ _s this… It must be… What happened on Friday_

" _..._ _I do._ _I… I have someone I like."_

 _Was…_ _this what she didn't want me to remember..?_

" _It's you, Yuzuru-kun."_

My eyes shot open and I nearly jumped up from my bed, being met with a pitch-black room. But what I was seeing was not my biggest concern right now. _I… I remember now…_

 _Yui-san's_ confession _._

I was breathing heavily, and had a bit of a headache, but I ignored everything as I went over Friday's events in my head over and over again. _That's… That's why Yui-san was so focused on my short-term memory loss… She confessed to me, and I… I…_

" _I've…_ _actually recently… began to… like someone, so… I'm sorry."_

I brought my right hand up to my face and let out a sigh. _I must have hurt her so much with those words… And yet, even after that… She was willing to come see me in hospital, and act normally, as if nothing had happened… And I was insensitive enough to ask her about it… I need to properly apologize to her, and give her a proper answer… If I can even come up with a proper answer…_ As I calmed down a little, I began to take notice of my surroundings. As I had already noticed, the room was completely dark, with even the curtains over the windows. _How long was I asleep for?_ As I was about to reach out towards the table to pick up my phone, I suddenly became aware of a weight on my left arm. I looked down towards it, and as my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I could see a _hand_ placed atop my arm. _Wait.. what?_

"Yuzuru." I suddenly heard a feminine voice from my left, and looked towards the source to see a figure sat in the chair next to me, though I couldn't quite make out any details yet. "You're awake, good."

"Who… is there?" I couldn't quite place the voice I was hearing, as I must have still been a little groggy from just waking up, despite my brain already having worked on overdrive due to my memories coming back.

Instead of replying to me, the person stood up and walked over to the window, stopping just before it, and I could see that they were quite short. Suddenly, the person opened up the curtains, revealing a sun hanging low in the sky, but still bright enough to blind me for a brief moment. As I slowly regained my sight, the person standing in front of the window fully came to view.

"Tachibana...san?" I said, and the silver-haired girl turned to look at me with a smile on her face.

"Kanade. Please call me Kanade, Yuzuru." She said as she made her way back over to me and stood over my bed.

"Um, okay? So… Kanade, you… came to visit me?" I asked and sat up in my bed, a little weirded out that she had just been sitting there watching me sleep instead of waking me up, but I didn't give it too much thought.

"That I did, Yuzuru." Kanade replied to me and smiled again. _I… don't think I've ever seen her smile this much…_ "However, this visit has… _more_ meaning to it."

"Oh? And… what would that be?" Kanade sat down again, her gaze never leaving mine. _Her eyes really are pretty… No, I don't have time for such thoughts. Talking with Iwasawa-san earlier today was enough._

"I… know of a way for me to regain my memories." Kanade said and paused for a moment before continuing. "And for you as well, Yuzuru." _Huh? Really?_

"Really? You know for sure?" Kanade nodded, then brought a finger to her chin as she looked upwards, averting her gaze from me for the first time in a while.

"Well, I'm not _completely_ sure, but I… _believe_ that it will work." Kanade replied and looked back at me. "We simply have to… _follow Fate_."

"And… that means..?" To my surprise, a light blush appeared on Kanade's cheeks, something which I thought was impossible for the aloof girl. _Is the end of the world really coming?_

"I'm… not that great with my words, or these kinds of things, but… It means..." Kanade reached out with her hands and placed them on my shoulders, pulling me closer to her ever so slightly. _What… is she planning? This is not good, my heart is beating quicker by the second…_ "...That we..." Kanade began to close the distance between us. _Is… Is she doing what I think she is..? How will this help..?_ "...Have to be together, like we were _fated_ to be." Her final words caused her breath to tickle my face, and I felt my cheeks heating up as my heartbeat got quicker and quicker, a strong feeling of Déjà-vu assaulting me. Before I could react, though, something else happened.

In a split second, Kanade finished closing the distance between us, and our lips crashed together. Kanade wrapped her arms around my neck as she closed her eyes and kissed me forcefully, showing her inexperience. Not that I was any better, as I was frozen in place by shock. The Déjà-vu I was feeling caused my vision to go hazy, and a throbbing in the back of my head took all my attention away from the feeling of Kanade's soft lips pressed against mine as she kissed me, her tongue touching my lips every now and then. The feeling of Déjà-vu was stronger than ever before, even stronger than when I first saw Hatsune in the hospital bed, or when I first met Yuri. _This… What is this..._ A few moments later, my hazy vision was replaced by something else, as an unfamiliar landscape appeared before my eyes. It was dark, but I could make out a single person standing in front of me, her arm outstretched towards my chest. _That's… Kanade.. and she is…_ I felt a pain in my chest, and as if a warm liquid was running down my body from my chest. _Kanade, she is…_ stabbing _me, and this place…_

 _It's the Afterlife._

As Kanade finally separated herself from my lips, the vision faded away, and I was met with the auric eyes of the silver-haired girl in front of me, her lips curved into a smile as a single tear ran down her cheek. But, even though the vision ended, my mind was filled with images, scenes, _memories_.

Memories from the _Afterlife._

"It worked..." I heard Kanade's voice, and soon felt her head pressing against my chest as she embraced me, and I found my hand unconsciously moving to rest on top of her head. _My clumsy little angel…_ I closed my eyes, and saw something that made my blood run cold.

It was the same vision of Kanade stabbing me, but in the distance, barely at the edge of my vision, I saw someone else. A girl with purple hair, sea-green eyes, and a white beret, looking at the scene unfolding before her in horror.

 _Yuri…_

* * *

 **AN: This chapter was supposed to be finished nearly a week ago, as I had planned to finish it within a couple of days from starting. Alas, that did not happen, and this chapter was delayed even further. In any case, this fic is nearing its end, with not too much in the form of story left to go. With all the free time I have now, I will make sure to have the next chapter out sooner!**


	12. Chapter 12 - A Release and a Reveal

**AN: Um… Hello! I really need to stop making promises that I can't keep. I have no excuses for the delay with this chapter, it's all down to my own laziness. Well, at least I'm not as bad as some authors ( _cries in over half of my favourited stories on haven't been updated in months – or even years_ ). But worry not! Even if my updates take ages due to laziness and procrastination, I will never drop any of my stories. I've invested an immense amount of time into writing them, and I've loved each and every second of that time.**

 **With the apologies out of the way, let's get this chapter started!**

* * *

 **Chapter 12 – A Release and a Reveal**

"Well, your physical examination yielded no bad or worrying results, and since you've recovered from your short-term memory loss… I'd say you're well enough to go home." Doctor Mikado said to me with a smile as she went over her notes again. "It's a shame that we won't be able to meet up daily, now, but you've got my number, so we should be fine." She then continued with a wink.

"Ahaha… I guess you're right..." I replied with an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of my neck as I did.

"Hm? Is everything… all right, Otonashi-kun? I mean, I _know_ that everything is fine _physically_ , but… You've been acting a little _different_ since yesterday evening." Mikado asked and tilted her head in question, the playfulness in her voice replaced by genuine concern. _Yesterday evening…_ My thoughts immediately wandered back to my surprise visitor yesterday, and the events that transpired afterwards.

* * *

" _It worked..."_

 _That it did, as a flood of memories assaulted me, many of them happy, many of them sad, but all had one thing in common._

 _They were my missing memories, the ones from the Afterlife._

 _But, even amongst all these different memories, even as Kanade – my clumsy little angel – embraced me like a lover would with her head pressed against my chest, one thing – one_ person _– stood out apart from everything else. In the vision, this person was looking straight at me, but our eyes didn't – they_ couldn't – _meet. The look on the person's face, however, told that they were horrified of the scene unfolding before them. I couldn't tell if they were looking at the same scene as I was in the vision, or if they were somehow seeing through the vision, and looking at the scene happening in real life, but I knew that the person's look of horror would not change, be it either one._

" _Yuri..." I whispered to myself quietly, the image of the horrified – or perhaps_ heartbroken – _girl still in front of me as clear as day even after opening my eyes._

" _Hm? Did you say something, Yuzuru?" Kanade lifted her head slightly off my chest, her auric eyes meeting my burgundy ones. I knew it was because my memories had returned, but she looked more beautiful than ever. And yet… I couldn't shake Yuri out of my thoughts._

" _N-no, it's just… I..." I found myself averting my gaze from Kanade, instead looking outside the window, where the artificial light of the city illuminated the otherwise dark evening. At that moment, the sight before me matched my mood. Darkness, illuminated by something that felt…_ artificial _. Not real._

" _Do you… remember, Yuzuru? Our time together?" Kanade asked from me, a somewhat pleading look on her face._

" _Well… I do. I remember… everything from the Afterlife, now. Your… plan worked." I replied and looked back at Kanade, who was now smiling. Her smile made me happy, but that happiness was countered by the image of a sad Yuri I still saw very clearly._

" _I'm glad… Because that means… that you must remember… that you love me." Kanade paused and studied my face for a few moments, beginning to lightly caress my hair. "I couldn't say it to you back then, but… I love you, Yuzuru." Given my full recovery of my memories, I already knew that was the case, but hearing the words from Kanade's mouth brought a blush to my face, and I found myself averting my gaze again. "Yuzuru..? What's wrong?"_

" _I… I need time to think. Of course, I've regained all the memories I had from the Afterlife, now, and I have you to thank for it, but…" I turned to look at Kanade again, who had now pulled away from me so she wasn't leaning on me any more. "There are… other things I need to consider. Other…_ people _I need to consider. Yui-san… and Yuri..." I trailed off towards the end, but Kanade could still hear me, if her eyes widening at the mention of Yuri's name was any indication. It was now her turn to avert her gaze, as she sat back down on the chair properly and looked downwards._

" _I'm sorry, Yuri..." I heard a quiet, almost inaudible mutter from Kanade, but before I could react to it in any way, the silence permeating within the dark room was broken by a knock on the door._

" _Otonashi-kun? Have you awoken?" A female voice called out, and soon the door was pushed open, the artificial light of the bright hospital lamps in the corridor spilling into the room, with Doctor Mikado stood in the doorway. "Oh, it seems you are." Mikado's eyes landed on Kanade, and she stopped in her tracks. "And you are..?"_

" _Tachibana Kanade. I'm Yuzuru's lo-" I quickly covered Kanade's mouth with my hand, having a good guess as to what the silver-haired girl was going to say. To the blunt girl that Kanade was, the term she was about to use might have seemed appropriate, but I wasn't willing to use said term yet. Not before I have some time for myself to sort out my feelings._

" _She's a friend of mine. Yuri and I have talked about her before, she's… like us." I said to Mikado, and glanced at Kanade as I held a hand over her mouth. The silver-haired girl looked at me with confusion, while Mikado raised an eyebrow in question at the scene._

" _Yes… you have mentioned Tachibana-san before. And she's the one you donated your heart to in your previous life as well. Oh, but forgive me. My name is Mikado Ryouko, and I'm a doctor here at the hospital. Among a few others, Otonashi-kun and his little sister – who is staying at the room next to this one – are my current patients. And while I shouldn't really be picking favourites… I can't help but do so with Otonashi-kun." Mikado introduced herself to Kanade, turning to me with a playful smirk and a wink as she finished. I pulled my hand back from Kanade, who was looking at Mikado with an intrigued face._

" _How… old might you be, Mikado-sensei?" Kanade asked after a few moments of silence, the sudden question catching Mikado off-guard. She recovered from her shock quite quickly, though, responding with a smile shortly afterwards._

" _If this was Otonashi-kun asking, it would be quite impolite, but… I'm not that much older than you two. I will be turning twenty-seven later this year. Why do you ask?" I had guessed that Mikado was somewhere around twenty-five, given what she first told us when Yuri and I visited Hatsune, but her youthful looks attribute to that._

" _I was simply curious if the reasoning that you find it 'appropriate' to 'pick favourites' with Yuzuru was due to romantic interest, and as such, I felt that knowing the age difference between you two would help in my judgement of such a thing." Kanade's bluntness never fails to amaze me, even now after I've recovered all of my memories. Mikado was simply stunned by what she said, while I felt the heat rising to my cheeks rapidly. It didn't help that Mikado was quite a beautiful woman, and she reminded me of Yuri a lot as well._

" _Ahahahahahaa!" After multiple seconds had passed, Mikado burst out laughing, one hand wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes while she held onto her stomach with the other one. Kanade simply looked at the doctor with a confused expression as she continued on laughing for a good ten or twenty seconds, before she finally calmed down. "Haaah… Sorry… Just that… I don't think I've ever met anyone... as blunt as you, Tachibana-san. I haven't… laughed like that in a while." Mikado caught her breath, then cleared her throat before continuing. "Now, while I will admit that Otonashi-kun is quite a handsome young man, and I definitely wouldn't_ mind _it if there was any… romantic interest, as you put it… I do think Otonashi-kun would be better suited with someone of his own age. Then again… They do say that age is just a number..." Mikado leaned a little closer to the bed with a smirk on her face. Her constant teasing only reminded me more about Yuri, and I suddenly found myself_ missing _the girl._

" _Yes… I believe that might be appropriate for Yuzuru as well." Kanade replied in a slightly annoyed tone. Was she getting… jealous?_

" _Fun and games aside… Was there a specific reason as to why you came to visit me this late, Mikado-sensei?" I asked from Mikado, hoping to steer both the conversation, and my thoughts into another direction._

" _Not really, no. I was checking in on your sister, and heard noises coming from your room. However… I should really be asking the same question from Tachibana-san, given that visiting hours have ended already." Mikado replied to me, then turned to Kanade._

" _Ah, I apologize. I came here quite late to meet with Yuzuru, but if it troubles you, I can leave." Kanade said and stood up from her chair, and I noticed that she didn't have a bag with her. "I've already done what I wanted to, anyway." Kanade looked towards me and smiled, while Mikado raised an eyebrow in question at her statement._

" _That… would be preferable, yes. I am more lenient than some of the other doctors here, but I do think it would be best if you took your leave before anyone else arrives. Not that I'm rushing you out, I would actually very much like to speak with you, since I'm doing a little research into the phenomenon Otonashi-kun calls his 'special Déjà-vu', but I would prefer to do so when it's light out, perhaps alongside a nice cup of coffee." Mikado said to Kanade with a smile, who thought for a brief moment before nodding._

" _That sounds doable." Kanade replied and turned to me again. "I will see you again, Yuzuru. Hopefully tomorrow." She said to me with a smile, then bowed to Mikado, and began to make her way outside, picking up her coat on the way._

" _Well, I know you've probably just woken up from your little nap not too long ago, but you should probably call it a night, Otonashi-kun." Mikado said as Kanade closed the door behind her. "I'll be heading home myself soon enough, just a few more patients to check up on."_

" _Yeah, I probably should, though I doubt I'll get any sleep." I replied and looked outside the window again, seeing the clouds parting from the night sky to reveal the moon, a small spark of natural light drowned amongst the artificial light of the city._

" _Well, at least give it a try. And if you do pull an all-nighter, remember to be quiet. For the sake of your sister, if for no-one else." Mikado gave me a little pat on the shoulder, then turned around to leave. "Good night, Otonashi-kun."_

" _Good night, Mikado-sensei."_

* * *

My guess had been correct, as I did not sleep at all last night, apart from the few hours before sunrise – which I had just woken up from not too long ago. But, that did not mean that the night was spent doing nothing. For many hours, I thought about the memories I had all of a sudden regained thanks to Kanade, the memories from my time in the Afterlife. More specifically, what those memories meant for my _feelings_.

"Otonashi-kun? Are you with me?" A sudden voice brought me out of my thoughts, and I turned to look towards the source, meeting Mikado's gaze with my own.

"Ah, sorry. Did I space out for long?" I asked and scratched my cheek awkwardly. _This is… almost like what happened_ _last Friday, when I was with Yui-san…_

"No, not too long. Were you… thinking of last night, by any chance?" Mikado asked, and I nodded to her as an answer. _I was thinking about it for the entire night._ "Hmm… Did I… _interrupt_ something between you and Tachibana-san yesterday? Of course, I could be wrong in that, but… I do know that something must have happened when she was there, I can tell." Mikado had hit the nail on the head with her guess. _Do I want to tell her? I feel like the things I…_ discovered _, so to speak should be told to my friends first, – if at all – but…_

"Well… You didn't ' _interrupt_ ' anything, but… I actually… recovered more memories than just the ones from before my accident on Friday." I decided that Mikado deserved to know, since she was interested, after all. "I recovered _all_ of my memories from my time in the Afterlife… Thanks to Tachibana-san. That was the reason she came to visit me." Mikado's eyes widened, and I could see her scrambling around for her notebook and pen.

"Oh! That's… Wonderful news, I guess? May I inquire as to how you managed to recover your memories? You said that Tachibana-san… _helped_ you?"

"I would… rather not go into it right now. I mean… You did say that I would be free to go home, and I'm sure that you'll be busy today too..." I tried to go with a rational explanation, so Mikado wouldn't get suspicious as to _why_ I don't want to go into the specifics of _how_ I regained my memories so suddenly.

"Oh… I guess you are right." Mikado said a little dejectedly and put away her notebook. "Right, back to the professional stuff. _Ahem_. Yes, I will allow you to return home today, but you should take it easy for a day or two. You don't appear to have any physical symptoms any more, and you've recovered from your short-term memory loss, but your concussion might have some delayed symptoms. Relax at home for a little while, and then try returning to your studies on Wednesday or Thursday. And as for your returned memories… You have my number, so I'll check my schedule and send you a text so we can arrange a little _date_ some day, sound good?"

"Yeah, that's fine by me. I could even see if I can get Yuri, or some of the others to meet up with you as well." I replied, while Mikado eyed me curiously for a few moments.

"Yuri, huh… You do think of her a lot, don't you?" I felt a slight heat rising to my cheeks at Mikado's comment, but suppressed the blush as best I could. "You know, I really think you should just… _go for it_. From what little I've seen, she's right up your alley, and you two have great synergy as well."

"W-what… do you mean with that, Mikado-sensei?" I asked sheepishly. _First Iwasawa, and now Mikado-sensei as well?_

"Oh, don't act like you don't know, Otonashi-kun. Of course, that Iwasawa-san looked like she could suit you well too, and I'm not judging if you fancy a girl like Tachibana-san. But, you _can_ always come back to _me_..." Mikado reached out with her hand, gently cupping my cheek with it, causing me to blush heavily at the older woman's implications. Of course, her rather generous cleavage didn't help the situation. _Don't tell me she acts like this all of her patients…_ Mikado let out a giggle, seemingly satisfied with my reaction, and pulled away from me. "I jest, of course. Anyway, you should pack your things and get ready to leave, but meet me downstairs before you do. Oh, and you should probably go and speak with your sister about this as well." Mikado said and took a few steps towards the door.

"I… was planning on doing that anyway." I replied and stood up from my bed. "I guess… I'll see you downstairs, then?" Mikado nodded to me with a smile and made her way to the door, stopping to look back at me one final time.

"One more thing… If things really don't work out with anyone… I may have been _half-serious_ with what I said just now." Mikado said with a wink, then left the room before I had a chance to reply. _Well… I guess she wasn't lying when she called me_ handsome _last night…_

I let out a sigh and looked towards the table next to my bed, spotting my phone on it. _That's right… I sent a message to Kanade yesterday…_ I picked up my phone and unlocked it, but there were no messages from Kanade. _She hasn't even seen the message yet… She appeared yesterday out of nowhere, and then disappeared without a trace…_ As I looked at the message I sent to Kanade, my thoughts returned to everything I had gone through last night when I couldn't sleep. And of course, back to what I went through when I _was_ asleep.

When we first met Iwasawa, I had suddenly awoken previously unknown feelings towards both Yuri and Kanade. And then last Thursday, I had finally understood that those feelings were _romantic_ ones. I had _fallen in love_ with both Yuri and Kanade. Given the _odd_ nature of how I discovered that, I attributed my feelings to the events of the Afterlife, that something from there was causing these feelings to appear. But now, after regaining my memories completely, and thinking them over during the night… Something does not add up.

I know that I fell in love with Kanade in the Afterlife, and I know the feelings were – or _are –_ mutual. This, combined with the fact that I was her donor in a previous life… It's almost as if we're _fated_ to be together. However… I have no memory of ever being in love with Yuri. And yet, here I am, still thinking of her, even after my supposedly "dormant" feelings for Kanade have "awakened". And thus, after thinking everything over during the night, I came to a simple conclusion, one that I should probably have seen ages ago: I didn't fall in love with Yuri because I was in love with her in the Afterlife, or even because of the connection we had due to our shared past in the Afterlife.

Instead, I simply fell in love with Yuri _normally_.

I bumped into her, got to know her, spent time with her, and fell in love without even realizing it myself. While we may have been pulled together because of our shared pasts, I didn't come to love her because my past self did so. My _present_ self fell in love with the _present_ Yuri, as simple as that. This, however… puts me in a difficult situation. I have a choice, and a difficult one at that. Which brings us to the brief dream – or perhaps _vision –_ I had during the few hours of sleep I got last night.

Normally, we forget our dreams almost completely after we wake up. However, as I've come to realize within these last couple of weeks, _I_ am far from the normal person, and I can recall the dream I had last night vividly.

In the dream, I saw myself standing within the courtyard of the Afterlife School. I recognized the scene before me as one of my first memories from the Afterlife, only a few moments after I had arrived there. Kanade was using her Hand Sonic to stab me through the chest, while Yuri looked at the two of us from afar. What I saw in the dream, however, was… _different_. It was as if time had stopped, save for one small thing – my _blood_. It snaked and danced around as it spewed forth from my wound, as if it had its own free will. It formed into a long, red string that coiled around my hand, more specifically, my little finger. From there, the string of blood rose high into the sky, where it split into two, equally sized threads. One of the threads came back towards me, and snaked around the little finger on Kanade's free hand, – the one that she wasn't stabbing me with – while the other made its way over to Yuri, wrapping around her little finger. The dream was brief, but the implications it had were obvious.

"The _Red Thread of Fate_ , huh..." I said to myself quietly, still staring at the unread message I sent to Kanade displayed on my phone's screen. _So our fates are intertwined… And I have a choice to make between the two of them. Following along with fate, or opposing it. Then again… Right now, Kanade seems like the logical choice, as I don't know what_ _Yuri thinks of me… But I also don't really feel comfortable with just '_ choosing _' Kanade out of the blue, especially given the conclusion I came to about my_ _feelings. Then there's Yui-san…_ _I can't just ignore her confession._ I let out another sigh. "Well, I've mulled over everything enough already last night. I'd better get everything ready."

I changed my clothes and began pack what little things I had with me, as well as generally tidying up the room. It didn't take long before I found myself standing outside the door to room 302, closing it behind me. _Right, now just to go tell Hatsune the good news._ I walked up to room 301, situated right next to mine, and knocked on it.

"Hatsune! It's me. I'm coming in." I said and opened the door, letting myself inside before my sister had a chance to reply.

"Ah! Onii-chan. What's got you up so early in the morning?" Hatsune asked as I entered her room.

"Ha ha, very funny." I replied and made my way over to the bed, sitting down on the chair next to it. "I'll have you know that Mikado-sensei just told me that I'm allowed to return home today, since I recovered from my short-term memory loss."

"That's great, Onii-chan! Sooo… you remember what actually happened, then?" Hatsune asked and raised an eyebrow in question. _Hmmm… I guess it doesn't hurt if Hatsune knows, as long as I keep Yui-san's confession to myself._

"Yes, I do. It rained after school on Friday, but I had forgotten my umbrella at home. Luckily, Yui-san had an umbrella with her, so we walked together, planning to go to La Soleil for some shelter." I began my explanation, and saw Hatsune's eyes lighting up as I mentioned Yui.

"Oooo, scoring yourself a date with Kotegawa-san! _Nice_! So, what happened then? How did you get hurt?"

"Well… You're going to _scold_ me for this, but… Before we got to La Soleil, I… said something in a… _bad way_ , and ended up upsetting Yui-san… She… ran away from me crying, and when I chased after her, I was nearly hit by a car, which resulted in my concussion." Hatsune looked back at me with a slightly disappointed look on her face.

"Oh, Onii-chan… What am I going to do with you..?" My sister muttered to herself and let out a sigh. "So, what did you say to upset her?" _Hatsune does not need to know the full truth. I can only imagine what her reaction would be if I told her that Yui-san confessed to me – and that I pretty much rejected her in the worst way possible._

"I… don't really want to go into it, but… I do need to talk with her about it face-to-face." Hatsune narrowed her eyes as she looked at me for a few seconds, then sighed again.

"Alright, if you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I just hope you can patch things up with her, and don't make things worse."

"I hope so too. I really need to apologise to her..." I said quietly, then shook my head. _I can't worry about that right now._ "Oh, and Tachibana-san visited me yesterday as well, and… Well, thanks to her… I now have all of my memories back." Hatsune's eye widened at my statement, and she seemed to regain her usual cheerfulness immediately.

"That's… Well, great news as well! I don't really understand the whole thing, but… I know it's important for you, Onii-chan. Maybe now… you'll get some answers. Or, I guess you've already got them." Hatsune smiled at me, and I felt a smile growing on my own face as well. _If Hatsune hadn't believed me all these years… I don't know what would have become of me._ "So, you remember anything interesting? You should have your memories from the… _Afterlife_ , right?"

"Interesting? Well… There's too much to talk about right now, but..." _'Interesting'? I mean… I guess there's lots of interesting things that happened… But the most interesting one would be…_ "Actually… This… _might_ kind of relate to that, but… I… may need your advice on something, Hatsune." _If anyone can help me sort out my feelings… It's my little sister._

"Oh? You know you can always rely on me, Onii-chan! What do you need help with? Your love life? I can think of a few ways to spice that up~!" Hatsune fist-bumped the air as a determined – but _mischievous –_ look appeared on her face.

"I appreciate it, Hatsune, but… I need you to be completely serious with me on this." I said and put on the most serious face I could muster. Hatsune looked at me curiously, the gave me a slow nod. "Okay, now… Let's imagine this all hypothetically. What if… I somehow found myself in a situation where I suddenly had… _feelings_ for _two_ different girls, and didn't really know what to do about them." I knew I wasn't fooling Hatsune with the 'all hypothetically' part, but it should at least let her know to be serious about this.

"Hmmm..." Hatsune brought a finger to her chin and thought for a few moments, closing her eyes as she did. Her brows furrowed slightly as she digested what I had said. _I don't think Hatsune has ever thought about anything this much. I guess it just shows how much she cares about me, though it would be good if she put as much thought into her own life… Still, it's quite abnormal to see her like this… Just like that time_ _when I talked with her about my Déjà-vu after learning more about it from Hinata and Yui, and Hatsune suddenly said something that was both unexpectedly philosophical, but also made sense regarding our situation. Yes… she spoke of_ fate _back then, just like Kanade did…_ _Hatsune said that maybe Fate brought me and Yuri together, but now that I think about… That wasn't the case._

 _Fate brought me and_ Kanade _together,_ _Yuri_ _meeting me was just a means for that to happen._

"Well..." Hatsune's voice brought me out of my thoughts, and I looked at my sister as she turned her gaze back to me. "I can't tell you about your own feelings, Onii-shan. That's something you have to figure out yourself, but… As for advice?" Hatsune paused for a brief moment again before continuing. "Well, there was that one American actor who said that ' _I_ _f you love two people at the same time, choose the second. Because if you really loved the first one, you wouldn't have fallen for the second._ ', or something like that, so… I think that could be good advice." Hatsune said with a smile. _That…_ _does actually seem like good advice…_ "Since you're reluctant to talk about this with me… I won't pry into who these girls are – _would be_ , but… No matter _who_ you choose, Onii-chan, I'll be happy, as long as _you_ are happy." _No matte who I choose, huh? If I were to go by her advice… Yuri should technically be my choice, since I fell in love with her despite my fate already being tied with Kanade. Then again, My feelings for Kanade only 're-awakened' recently, so I most likely was already in love with Yuri at that point… This is too complicated and happening in too little time…_

" _Arigatou_ , Hatsune." I said and gave my little sister a pat on the head. "I'll take your advice, even if there wasn't that much of it." Hatsune smiled at me and nodded, and I found myself smiling as well. _I really am glad she was here for me all this time… Though, even her absence ended up being a good thing in my previous life._ "Well, I better not keep Mikado-sensei waiting. I'll call you later when I get home, okay?" I said and stood up from my seat.

"Alright, Onii-chan. And remember to apologise to Kotegawa-san! And… Well, think about your _feelings_ , and my advice." Hatsune replied to me as I gathered my things.

"Will do. I'll see you again, soon, Hatsune!" I raised a hand and waved at my sister, who returned the gesture as I made my way to the door in order to leave the room.

"See you, Onii-chan!" I heard from Hatsune just as I left, closing the door behind me. _Think about my feelings… I have a lot of thinking ahead._

After leaving Hatsune, I made my way downstairs, where Doctor Mikado was waiting for me, along with her colleague, Doctor Akagi. She was curious about what I would say to explain my _odd_ behaviour back when the accident happened on Friday now that I had recovered from my short-term memory loss, but Mikado helped me out by shrugging the question off. I didn't really feel like making up something for Doctor Akagi, and I couldn't just tell her that due to my multiple encounters with "dying" in the Afterlife, the near-death experience I had triggered something in me without having her take me to the psychological ward of the Hospital, so I went with Mikado and avoided the question, instead choosing to say that it was nothing to worry about. Akagi was very suspicious about my response, but Mikado hurried me along with her goodbyes, as well as a reminder about our "date" at some point later in the week. I told her that I'd also have a look at my schedule, and ask the other members of the SSS if they could come along as well. Akagi seemed confused by our little exchange (and I don't blame her for that), decided not to press the issue any further.

And after a final goodbye from the two doctors before they continued on with their days, I was left alone in the lobby of the Hospital. I didn't linger on for too long, though, and walked outside, being met with a cloudy Monday morning. Taking out my phone, I could see that it was only a little past nine. _Yui-san will probably already be at the University… I wonder about Yuri, though. Would she even be awake yet? And Kanade…_ I navigated back into my messages, where the unread message I sent to Kanade still lingered. _What happened to her? Well, only one way to find out. But first, I need to get back home._ I closed my phone and returned it to my pocket, gazed upwards at the clouds for a brief moment, then began to make my way to the train station.

* * *

 _What the hell does she mean with "I'm sorry"?_

I stared at the text message I had received last night when I was at Iwasawa's place while chewing on a _Pocky_ stick and stirring a fizzing glass of water with a spoon. _She hasn't even read the messages I sent back to her, let alone respond to them!_ I bit a little too hard and snapped the _Pocky_ in two, the other half dropping onto the kitchen counter next to the opened pack of headache pills. Even glancing at the package was enough to make me lose focus on my phone, causing the booming pain at the back of my skull to return tenfold. _Ugh, I think I now know what Yuzuru must have felt like on Saturday when I visited him… Although, I guess having a concussion and a hangover are two completely different things…_

Yesterday, I had gotten a sudden invitation from Iwasawa to come to her apartment around late afternoon. Since I didn't have anything else planned, and didn't really feel like visiting Yuzuru in the hospital again (lest I come across as "clingy" by giving the impression that I wanted to see him again so soon), I decided to accept her invitation, and made my way to her apartment. Iwasawa told me that she wanted to have a nice chat with me about recovering my memories along with a couple of drinks (apparently ones not as strong as before, to prevent me from injuring my other hand as well), but that did not prepare me for what she _actually_ had planned.

The first warning flag were the various empty beer bottles scattered around her living room, but I didn't pay that much attention to it, since Iwasawa seemed sober enough, and I knew she could hold her liquor quite well. The second warning flag was when Iwasawa offered me some drinks, and I saw numerous unopened bottles within her fridge, but I shrugged it off as Iwasawa just being someone who enjoyed her drinks. The third warning flag was when after my third bottle, Iwasawa was still offering me more to drink. Perhaps the booze was already clouding my judgement, but I decided to go for it, given that I was having quite a pleasant time with Iwasawa.

In hindsight, I shouldn't have ignored all those flags, and now I regret it.

As it turned out, one reason as to why Iwasawa invited me over was not _just_ to have "a couple of drinks", but rather get me as drunk as possible, so she could find out my limits " _for future reference_ ". Putting Iwasawa's ulterior motives aside, spending time with her was quite fun. Apart from trying to figure out ideas on how I could recover my memories, we talked about various random topics, and I would say that the two of us got closer as a result. Iwasawa also told me of her visit to Yuzuru earlier in the day (and by earlier, I mean that she quite literally _woke him up_ in the morning), and how she tried to " _nudge him in my direction_ ". I hadn't _asked_ Iwasawa for help with Yuzuru, but… Deep down, knowing that Iwasawa's little intervention _might_ have helped just the tiniest bit? It made me happy.

As the alcohol began to have a noticeable effect on me – and Iwasawa as well – I suddenly received a text message from Kanade. The short, but bizarre message had left my drunk self perplexed, and I ended up sending multiple messages back to Kanade, questioning her about the context behind her strange message. However… she never replied to me. And even the newest message – sent when I woke up this morning – where I apologised for the drunken mess that my initial responses were, was still left unread. And now that I had slept through the night and sobered up a little, the confusion was still there, but now paired up with _concern_ for my friend.

I let out a sigh and looked away from my phone, noticing that the glass of water had stopped fizzing. _My memories from last night are quite hazy after Kanade's message. I can vaguely remember stumbling out of a taxi with the driver's help and passing out on my bed immediately after falling into it…_ I thought as I stopped stirring the water and lifted the glass to my lips with my still-bandaged right hand, drinking the concoction down in one go. _This should help ease the headache… Ugh, I'm never drinking again after this…_ I returned my attention to my phone again as I picked up the _Pocky_ half and began to chew on it again. I scrolled back through my message history with Kanade, looking for anything that would she some light on the mysterious message she sent me, and why she hadn't responded yet. _There's nothing that suggests that she would have to be sorry for me… And her sudden disappearance as well… Wait, don't tell me that was… a_ suicide note _? No, that can't be it. I know Kanade better than anyone, and if she was planning something like that for whatever reason, I would know._ _Which means… That she must have sent the message to me…_ _Because she was sorry for something she was – or is – about to do?_ I stopped as I came across a very specific picture that Kanade had sent me one Friday, a day after I had visited Yuzuru's apartment for the first – and currently _only –_ time. In the picture, Yuzuru was sat in what I presumed was the school cafeteria with a plate of Mapo Tofu in front of him, and a priceless look on his face as he chewed on his meal with tears spilling from his eyes. Even now, looking at the picture brought a smile to my face. _Oh, Yuzuru…_ _Wait… Could Yuzuru have something to do with Kanade's message? But… what would she have to be sorry about?_ My thoughts were interrupted when all of a sudden, my phone began to ring, causing me to jump in surprise and nearly drop my phone. After securing my hold on the precious device, I took a brief moment to look at the caller ID before answering? _Yuzuru? Well, isn't that just great timing._ I thought and lifted the phone to my ear as I answered the call.

"Morning, Yuzuru. How come you're up so early?" I said, trying my best to sound… well, _not_ hungover with a massive headache.

"You know, Hatsune already beat you to the punch with that line earlier today. But, in any case, morning to you too, Yuri." Just hearing Yuzuru's voice seemed to ease my headache, or then the medicine I took was kicking in.

"Well, that's a shame. So, what's up? Any special reason as to why you're calling me, or did you just want to hear my voice?" I smiled to myself as I pulled up a chair and sat down at my kitchen table, adjusting the blanket over my shoulders as I did. Given how I had arrived home yesterday, I didn't have a chance to change my clothes, so I changed into some random shirt and pants first thing as I woke up and wrapped myself up in a blanket. I knew I wasn't the most presentable at the moment (and probably looked like a NEET), but I wasn't going to go out today anyway.

"Oh, I hear enough of your beautiful voice nearly every day already, more so than I would need to." Yuzuru paused, and I felt my cheeks heating up. _D-did he just…_ " _Ahem_. A-anyway, there is a reason as to why I called you. A couple, in fact." Yuzuru continued after a couple of seconds, and I shook my head to calm myself. _He must have let that slip out… what is they call it in English when your true feelings come out like that..? F...Freudian slip?_ _If it was that… Then there's hope._ "Firstly, some good news. Yesterday, I recovered from my short-term memory loss, and was released from hospital earlier today."

"Really? That's great! So, what exactly happened to you on Friday, then?" Yuzuru had told me that he fell and hit his head, but I felt like there was more to the story.

"Well… I was walking home with Yui-san on Friday, since it was raining cats and dogs and I didn't have an umbrella with me. We were going to go to La Soleil and wait out the rain, but… I fucked up big time and managed to upset Yui-san, and she ran away from me _crying_. When I ran after her, I didn't pay enough attention to my surroundings, and was nearly hit by a car, causing me to fall down and hit my head on the concrete." Yuzuru explained to me. _So he was with Kotegawa-san, huh? Maybe Hatsune was right when she said that girl had some surprises up her sleeve..._

"Ouch… But, it sounds like it could have ended in a worse way. You're lucky you got away with just concussion." _If it had gone differently… If he was hit by that car… I don't want to think about it._

"Yeah, it could have been a lot worse. Although… In a way, the near-death experience was a _good_ thing, as I got _glimpses_ of my time in Afterlife due to it."

"Oh? Did you… remember something?" I leaned back in my chair as I looked up at the ceiling, suddenly feeling a chill go down my spine. _Maybe I should snuggle back into bed… Ah, I wish I could snuggle up with Yuzuru… No wait, stop that train of thought!_

"That… Not becauseof _that_ , no." _That… was an odd way to word that._ "You see… well, first of all, have you heard from Tachibana-san at all today?" _Kanade? What does she have to do with anything?_

"I… haven't, no. She sent me a… _weird_ text yesterday evening when I was over at Iwasawa's place, but nothing after that. She hasn't read my replies, either. Why do you ask?" _Does… Yuzuru know something about Kanade's 'disappearance'?_

"She… She didn't reply to you either? Well, that's a bit… _concerning_. You see… Tachibana-san visited me yesterday, quite late as well. After she left, I sent her a text message, but… She hasn't read it. I was wondering if you'd know anything, but if she hasn't read any of your messages either..." _Kanade… visited Yuzuru yesterday? Wait… if she sent that message to me before – or even after – her visit to Yuzuru… 'I'm sorry'..._ A slight feeling of dread started to creep into my mind.

"Yuzuru… Why did… Kanade visit you? What… What did she do..?" I could feel a lump forming in my throat, but I swallowed it down and balled up my bandaged hand into a fist to prevent it from shaking.

"Can we… talk about this face-to-face? It's… too important to go over in a phone call, I feel. It's… got to do with my memories, as well." _Too important?_ _And Yuzuru's memories?_

"We… _can_. But I… don't really want to go out in my current state, so… Can you… c-come to my place?" I felt a blush rising to my cheeks, but I ignored the embarrassment of the request to the best of my ability. _I_ need _to know why Kanade visited Yuzuru. If her text is connected to the reasoning…_

"Eh? I mean… I-I guess I could… I don't know where you live, though." I heard Yuzuru say after a moment of silence.

"I can text you the address, so you don't forget it. And while I'm at it, I'll try to get a hold of Kanade as well."

"Alright, I'll… get ready to go, then. The new can… talk. I'll see you soon."

"Yeah, see you, Yuzuru." As the call ended, I lowered the phone from my ear, and gripped onto it harder as I stared at the screen. _Yuzuru didn't want to talk about Kanade's visit over the phone, and she sent me her apology text either before or after that visit… There aren't many reasons as to why she would apologise to me like that, but if it has anything to do with her visiting Yuzuru… She_ must _have betrayed our mutual promise._

I shook my head and focused on the task at hand, quickly sending my address to Yuzuru, who shortly replied with an "On my way there". Afterwards, I checked my texts to Kanade, but she still hadn't seen them, so I tried to call her. I expected the call to go into voicemail, but instead the call failed altogether, as Kanade's number was apparently "not reachable at this time". _That means that she's either somewhere outside the operator radius, or her phone is turned off…_ I bit my lip as I tried to call her again, but to no avail. _Her phone being turned off is the most likely case, but… Why would she_ _ever turn it off? Has something happened to her?_ I stood up from my seat, and could feel the headache returning. _Ugh… Yeah, I'm definitely never drinking again. At least not with Iwasawa._ I made my way back to my bedroom and flopped down onto the bed, curling up in the blanket. _I'll just rest a little while while Yuzuru makes his way here. I can't contact Kanade without her phone anyway…_

 _Just… rest… a little…_

* * *

" _What is… Where am I?"_

 _I found myself in an unfamiliar landscape. I was standing in the middle of an open area, and as I looked around, I could see multiple buildings all around me, and a large, open sports field in one direction._ _It was dark, but I could tell that it was early morning by the slowly rising sun over the horizon._

" _This place… It's almost like… a school."_

 _As I spoke, the area suddenly began to change and shift, before a bright light enveloped everything and I closed my eyes to shield them from it. When I eventually opened my eyes, the place I was in had changed, but it was still unknown to me. I was now sitting down on a chair, facing a window, outside of which I could now recognise as the place I had just been in. I turned the chair around, and was met with an office-like room, with couches located in the central part of the room, and a desk directly in front of me. On the desk, two things caught my eye. One was a framed picture, in which I could see multiple different shapes resembling people, but I couldn't make out any of them. The other one was a handgun, casually laying on the desk like there was nothing out of the ordinary about a firearm sitting out in the open._

" _What is this place..?"_

 _I reached out for the handgun, but as soon as my fingers touched it, the bright light returned,_ _and I had to close my eyes again. Once again, I opened my eyes after a while to find myself in yet a different place. This time, I felt immense strain on my entire body, but especially my arms, as I was currently hanging off… something for dear life. But that wasn't the only different thing, for I wasn't alone._

 _Directly in front of me, only a few centimetres away from my face, was Yuzuru. He was looking into my eyes with a blush on his face, and I noticed that he was holding onto me, as if he was attempting to climb up. We stayed like that, completely still and silent, for what felt like ages, before I finally opened my mouth to speak._

" _Yuzuru."_

 _As I said his name, I felt a smile growing on my face, and I saw Yuzuru smile as well. In that moment, I let go of whatever I was holding onto, and instead wrapped my arms around Yuzuru as we began to fall down endlessly together._

" _Yuzuru!"_

 _I repeated his name as I embraced him, pressing my forehead against his, not caring that I was falling down an endless, dark hole. Then, I felt Yuzuru wrapping his arms around my torso, his pleasant warmth enveloping me, and I heard him say but one thing back to me._

" _Yuri..."_

* * *

" _..ri. Yuri? Yuri!_ " I heard a familiar voice calling my name, and I slowly opened my eyes, only to be met by darkness.

"Mmmm… Who the hell..?" I squinted my eyes, my vision hazy as a headache boomed in my head, and after a few seconds, I was able to make out a shape – or should I say a _face –_ directly in front of me.

"Good, you're awake." The person said, and after a moment or two, I finally realized who they were – and how _close_ they were.

"Y-Yuzuru? W-what are you..." I felt my cheeks heating up substantially, as Yuzuru's breath hit my face, the memory of the dream where I had _embraced_ him now clear in my mind. _What was up with that crazy dream? And the place in it… Was it… the Afterlife?_

"Ah, I-I noticed that your door was open, and let myself in." Yuzuru said, now realizing how close our faces were and pulling away, his cheeks dyed crimson. "I called out to you, but you didn't respond, so I went looking around and found you asleep here." Yuzuru didn't look directly at me, instead choosing to let his gaze wander over my bedroom's walls while he rubbed the back of his neck.

"R-right, sorry. My headache returned after your call, so I decided to rest a little before you arrived, but it seems like I ended up falling asleep..." I said as I sat up in my bed, scratching my cheek with one hand as I rubbed the sleep out of my eyes with the other. "Was I… out for long?"

"I… only arrived just a few minutes ago, so not too long, I'd guess- But… headache? Are you… okay, Yuri? You said something about not wanting to go out in your current state, and to be honest… you look quite terrible right now..." I felt my cheeks growing even hotter as I realized that I was still in my randomly thrown-on clothes, and that my hair was no doubt an absolute mess, not to mention I had no makeup on, not that I wore that much in the first place.

"I-I-I'm s-sorry! I-I was drinking till late w-with Iwasawa-san y-yesterday and I haven't had a c-chance to put on proper clothes o-or anything yet a-and..." I shook my right hand wildly in front of me as I attempted to cover myself up with the blanket, while Yuzuru let out a chuckle at me.

"So you're just hungover, then?" Yuzuru asked, and I reluctantly nodded to him with a pout, the blush on my cheeks not showing any signs of leaving. _This is so embarrassing!_ "Don't worry about, Yuri. It happens to everyone sometimes. Besides… It's not like you _look_ bad. I'd say… the 'casual' look suits you, and it's a nice change. Although, the 'hungover' look not so much." I averted my gaze from Yuzuru as I hid myself deeper into the blanket. _His compliments are only making me feel worse! Gah, fuck it all! He's already seen me at my worst, there's only going up from here._

"You better keep this to yourself, okay?!" I said as I emerged from my hiding and glared at Yuzuru.

"I will, I will. But you can bet that I'm _never_ going to forget it." Yuzuru replied and raised his hands up defensively and then smirking. At first I felt like punching the smirk off his face, but then felt myself smiling at him. _Damn it Yuzuru, I just can't stay mad at you…_

"Fine. Now, unless you have some _ulterior motives_ , shall we get out of _my bedroom_?" I replied after a few moments with a smirk of my own, and I saw a slight blush returning to Yuzuru's face as well.

"O-of course. Lead the way, I guess?" Yuzuru said and moved out of the way so I could get up.

I stood up and wrapped the blanket around my torso, then walked out of the room with Yuzuru behind me, not even bothering with fixing my clothes or hair any more. _And if he thinks it looks good… I'm not complaining._ We made our way to my kitchen, where I pulled up chairs on opposite sides of my small table, then went to make a cup of coffee for myself as Yuzuru sat down.

"Your place… is quite small. But cozy." Yuzuru said as I took out some instant coffee from a cabinet, and poured some water into the water heater, then turning around to face him briefly.

"It's enough for me. I've lived in it since I was fifteen, maintaining the rent with part-time jobs and the money I get from my father monthly. When I get into Uni, or get a steady job, I'll probably move out. You want some?" I replied to him, then lifted up the bag of instant coffee for him to see.

"Yeah, I'll have a cup." Yuzuru replied, and I turned back around to turn on the water heater. "So… your family helps you pay your rent, huh? They must be nice people." I twitched slightly as Yuzuru mentioned my family, and my grip tightened on the bag of instant coffee.

"...They're not." I said quietly, my free clenching into a fist as it rested on top of the water heater. I took a deep breath and turned around to face Yuzuru again, but I didn't meet his curious gaze. "They're really not. My father only sends me money out of obligation."

"I… I'm sorry, Yuri. I… I didn't mean to..." Yuzuru said, his gaze moving away from me.

"It's fine. You… You deserve to know." I lifted my gaze to look at Yuzuru, and he met my gaze with his own. "My family… has never been the greatest. I'm an only child, and my parents divorced when I was five years old. I never saw my mother after that day." I bit my lip as the painful memories returned, but steeled my resolve. _For Yuzuru._ "I can't remember that time well, but… I think before they divorced, we may have been a happy family. But after that… Everything changed. Suddenly, I was living all alone with my father, as my mother seemingly disappeared out of our lives completely, and over time, even my father grew… _distant_ from me, so I ended up mostly growing up independently. Even the times when we were together, my father didn't even look at me. Back then, I thought it was somehow my fault, but as I grew older… I realized what the real reason was. Every time my father looked at me, he saw my mother in me. It _hurt_ him, but more importantly… it _disgusted_ him. I first realized this when my father remarried when I was twelve. My new stepmother was completely different from my mother, completely different from _me_. My father married her to get away from the memory of my mother, to get away from _me_." I paused again to keep myself calm, and I saw that Yuzuru was about to say something, but kept quiet. "When I became fifteen… I couldn't stand living with them any more. My father wouldn't even look at me, and we rarely spoke, while my stepmother _pretended_ to try to act like a mother for me, but I saw through it. That's when I announced to my father that I would be moving out, and would need some money to help pay my rent. He didn't even object, let alone say _anything_ to me, just watched me pack my things and leave. A month later, I received an envelope from him with some money in it, and he's sent the same amount to me every month after that." I paused when I heard the water heater beeping, and turned around to turn it off, taking out two coffee cups from another cabinet.

"That's… terrible. Have you… spoken to them after that?" I heard Yuzuru ask as I poured hot water into the first cup.

"Not really. I tried to keep in contact with my father at least somewhat, but eventually gave up on it. I haven't even seen either of them since my second year in High School ended." I replied and moved on to pour water into the second cup.

"What about your graduation?" I finished pouring the water and gently placed the water heater back on the counter.

"They weren't there. They didn't bother." I replied and tightened my hold on the handle, then took a deep breath to calm myself. "The last time I contacted my father was after graduation, when I said that I would be applying for University, and would still need the rent money until I could get a proper job. As you know, I _didn't_ get to go to Uni, but… they don't know that. And I don't care enough to tell them." I ripped open the bag of instant coffee and poured the coffee powder into the first cup, then began to stir it with a spoon. "One day, when I get into Uni, and land myself a steady job, I'm going to go back. I'll go back to my father and tell him that I won't need his help any more, not that he ever really helped me in the first place. I'll tell him how horrible of a father he was, straight to his face, then slam the door behind me as I leave him for good." My voice wavered a little, and I brought my hand up to my face to find tears falling down my face. "Would you look at that, I'm crying." I said and stopped stirring the coffee as I began to wipe my tears with both hands. Suddenly, I felt something warm pressing against my back, and saw a pair of hands wrap around my abdomen. "Y-Yuzuru?!" I let out a little squeal as Yuzuru embraced me from behind, resting his head on my shoulder.

"I'm really sorry, Yuri… I would never have imagined you had to go through all of that. I always thought that being ostracised by my peers in Middle school due to how open I was about my Déjà-vu, and the following years of being a loner in High School were the absolute worst time of my life. When I regained the memories from my previous life, I realized that there are lots of people who are worse off than I was, and who had much more troubled pasts, but… I never imagined _you_ had to suffer through something like that, Yuri." Yuzuru said as he hugged onto me tighter, and I found my hands lowering down to rest atop his on my abdomen. _This… This feels nice…_ "You don't have to be alone any more, Yuri. You've got Tachibana-san, Iwasawa-san, Kashou-san. You've got… _me_."

"Yuzuru..." I rested my head against Yuzuru's and closed my eyes. _When I'm in his arms… All of my worries just melt away… Yuzuru… I love you so much…_

"When you go back to your family… I'll be there with you. You can count on me for that, Yuri." I nodded, despite knowing that Yuzuru couldn't see it. _And when that happens…_

 _I_ _want to introduce you as my new family, Yuzuru._

* * *

 **AN: And it's done! A bit of hurt/comfort in this chapter due to an idea I had halfway through writing this chapter. I believe I hinted at Yuri's family not being the best possible one back when she regained her memories, and decided to go with this. I was planning on having a lot more in this chapter, but I've delayed this (and my other stories) enough with my laziness. I want to get this story finished by the end of July, but we shall see if I can keep to that schedule.**

 **Until next time!**


	13. Chapter 13 - Guiding Fate

**AN: Hello again! As you may have guessed, I wasn't able to keep to my schedule. I've been saying it for a couple of chapters already, but we're getting close to the end of this story. Not many chapters to go, so I'll hopefully be able to finish this by the end of August, and start on my other writing projects I have planned.**

 **Without any further ado, let's get this chapter underway!**

* * *

 **Chapter 13 – Guiding Fate**

"..."

I quietly stared into my coffee cup, not daring to raise my gaze from it, the deafening silence having long since replaced the quiet sobs that came from the person sitting opposite to me. I stole a quick glance at the clock on the wall, telling me that we had been sat here for about five minutes, though it felt like it had been at least fifteen. _This is so awkward… But I guess I only have myself to blame, and I'm not making the situation any better by staying quiet…_ I steeled my resolve and lifted my gaze from the coffee cup to look at the girl sitting on the other side of the table.

Both of her hands were gripping onto her coffee cup, one of them bandaged, but both as pretty and delicate as the other. Her soft chin was resting against her knees, which were poking out from under the table as she hugged onto them in an almost fetal position, but sitting down instead of lying down. Her purple hair was a mess, cascading down the sides of her face freely, with a few stray strands covering her face. They couldn't cover much on their own, however, as I could clearly see the tiredness in the girl's sea-green eyes, now also slightly red and puffy as a result of her crying earlier. All of this, combined with the blanket she had on her shoulders, made me feel very sympathetic for the girl – though me feeling sympathetic for her lead to this awkwardness in the first place. It felt like the right thing to do in the moment – and I know for a fact that it _was_ the right thing to do – but I didn't have the foresight to see how awkward things would become if I comforted – rather _intimately_ , might I add – the girl who I had basically accepted as being my _crush_. _When she told me about her family… It hurt me to see her like that, to see her crying, and I had to do something… She must have been pretty shocked and embarrassed too, since she's so quiet right now. Agh,_ _I need to break the silence somehow… But it would feel too weird to just go straight into the_ _topic I came here to discuss now…_ I let my gaze linger on the girl for a few more moments, and as I looked at her, a completely random thought entered my head.

 _Yuri really looks like a NEET right now._

A chuckle escaped from my mouth, breaking the silence that had encased the two of us, causing Yuri to look up from her coffee, meeting my gaze with her own briefly.

"W-what's so funny?" Yuri asked as she averted her gaze from mine.

"Nothing, I just… thought how comical you looked right now." I replied and stifled my chuckling. "With the blanket and the tired look, you're like a NEET who's stayed up all night cooped up in her room." I saw a blush appear on Yuri's face, and she used her left hand to pull the blanket over herself.

"S-shut up! I d-don't look like a NEET!" Yuri shouted in protest, then continued in a lower tone, almost mumbling. "I'm never drinking with Iwasawa-san again..." I found myself smiling at the girl, and took a sip from my coffee. _It's cheap instant coffee, and has been cooling down for the past five minutes, but drinking it while I'm faced with such a pretty – but amusing – sight? It tastes better than the stuff at La Soleil._

 _When did I become such a sappy person? I guess they do say that_ love _changes a person._

"A-anyway, you came here to talk about your… _memories_ , right? And what happened with Kanade yesterday?" Yuri asked carefully, and I saw her sipping her own coffee now as well.

"Ah, o-of course. Sorry, I… made things kinda awkward..." I replied and apologized to Yuri as she sat up a little straighter and let the blanket fall onto her shoulders again.

"Y-you don't have to apologize, Yuzuru. I… I didn't mind it..." Yuri trailed off, and I could see a slight blush on her face again. Feeling a blush of my own rising to my cheeks, I looked away from Yuri. _Did she have this kind of effect on me before? I really did fall for her, didn't I…_ "I-in any case, we should… get to the point. Why… Why did Kanade visit you yesterday?" I looked back towards Yuri and took a deep breath before replying to her.

"She… She visited me because she had thought up a way to make my – _our –_ memories return." I saw Yuri's eyes widen a little, and she urged me to continue with a little nod. For a moment, I debated whether or not to tell Yuri the _whole_ truth, but decided to skirt around it as much as possible. _I don't know what Yuri's feelings towards me are, whether she sees me as simply a friend, or possibly something…_ more _, so I don't want to hurt her more on accident._ _I'll need to talk with Kanade as well, and figure out my own feelings._ "...And she succeeded. Both of us… remember our time in the Afterlife, now. But, she had to leave and… We didn't have the opportunity to… _discuss_." Yuri's gaze dropped back to her coffee, and I saw her grip on the cup tightening.

"...So you remember your _feelings_ towards Kanade, then?" Yuri asked quietly, not even raising her gaze from the coffee. _Wait,_ _She… She knew?_

"Yuri, how did you..." I stopped as Yuri raised her gaze, her face serious, yet it looked like she was on the verge of tears again.

"Kanade told me last Friday, after she had recovered some of her memories by listening to your heartbeat." Yuri cut me off before I could continue and looked away from me. "She told me how you two were ' _fated to be together_ ', and how she had regained her memories of the times she was with _you_ in the Afterlife." Yuri bit her lip and looked back at me, and I could see that she was holding back… _something_. "So, it's true then, right? That you… _l-loved_ Kanade in the Afterlife?"

"I… It's true." I replied and looked into my coffee cup. Looking at the dark liquid in it now made me feel sick. "B-but! That's… In the past, right? I did certainly… _fall in love_ with Tachibana-san in the Afterlife, and I remember those feelings clearly now, but… I'm not sure what to think of them."

"What… do you mean by that?" Yuri asked, and I lifted my gaze to meet hers again.

"Well… It doesn't feel… _right_. And I don't really know about that ' _fate_ ' stuff either. The two of us might have been pulled together, just like Hinata and Yui were, but… Should we really just follow along like that? It feels _weird_ to say that, since I was the one supporting Tachibana-san – supporting _fate –_ back in the Afterlife, and you were against it, but..." I paused, trying to find the right words. _What am I even trying to say here? That I don't feel like following my feelings from back then is right because I've now fallen in love with Yuri?_ My thoughts were interrupted when I heard the sound of a chair moving, and saw that Yuri had stood up.

"So you're saying… That you want to… _go against_ fate? To… To do something _different_?" Yuri asked from me as she began to make her way to my side of the table. _Yuri..?_

"I… I don't really know, as I said… I can _feel_ a connection with Tachibana-san, but there are also… _others_..." Yuri stopped in front of me, and I could see her motioning with her bandaged hand, as if asking me to stand up as well. "Yuri? What is it?" As soon as I stood up, Yuri cupped my face on both sides with her hands and looked into my eyes with her own. The sudden contact of her soft hands, and our close proximity caused my cheeks to heat up – something which I doubted Yuri missed. _What is she..._

"Then… are you… willing to try? To try… _changing your fate_?" Yuri closed her eyes, and I noticed that she was moving her face closer to mine. _Wait, is she trying to…_ I began to lift my hands up, but froze before I could place them on Yuri. _This… This is…_

Yuri gently pressed her lips against mine, sending an electrifying sensation through me. Her nose bumped against mine, and her fingers roamed around on my face as she kissed me. Not forcefully like Kanade had, but tenderly and lovingly (though I could still tell she was inexperienced), and despite the taste of coffee on her lips, and the ever so slight smell of alcohol telling me of her activities with Iwasawa the night before, I found myself melting in the kiss, savouring every single millisecond of it. Everything about the kiss felt _right_ , and _real_ , and I found my hands gently landing on Yuri's shoulders. Soon, though, an unexplainable feeling of _dread_ washed over me, and it felt like something was tugging on me, pulling me away from Yuri. After a few seconds, I pulled back from Yuri, and she opened her eyes, staring into mine with them as I held her shoulders.

"Yuri, I..." I began as I stared at her flushed face. _Why would… What should I…_ Suddenly, Yuri's eyes widened, and she released herself from my grip, taking a step back.

"I… I'm sorry, Yuzuru… I..." Yuri hesitated, and I saw tears welling up in her eyes. The feeling of dread that had appeared in the latter moments of our kiss returned, and I felt like a heavy weight was put onto my heart. _I don't… What do I…_ In my confused state, I pushed past Yuri and made a run for her door, not looking back as I exited her apartment and closed the door behind me. As soon as the door clicked close, I slid down against it and sat on the floor in front of it, my eyes directed at the overcast sky above.I closed my eyes and brought a finger to my lips, the sensation of Yuri's kiss still lingering on them. _I'm… I'm a coward…_

 _I think I really fucked up._

* * *

 _Fate can't be changed._

Gone was the feeling of warmth, of happiness, of comfort. Gone was the pleasant feel of another's lips against my own, and of firm hands planted on my shoulders. Gone was the euphoria that was _kissing_ Yuzuru.

 _His reaction proved that._

I fell to my knees and buried my face in my hands, letting the tears flow freely again. But, crying didn't give me relief, as it only reminded me of Yuzuru's comforting embrace when I had opened my heart to him about my family earlier. _I… I've messed up everything…_ I sobbed quietly to myself for a few minutes, until there were no more tears for me to shed, so I just sat on the floor, my mind a jumbled mess of emotions. _When he said that he remembered everything… I knew it. I was a fool to think he loved me…_ I felt like crying again, but fought it back and stood up shakily, my gaze wandering over to the door. As I looked towards it, I felt something trying to _pull_ me in that direction, but shook the thought away and made my way into my bedroom again. _He wouldn't still be there. He was clearly shocked by what I did, and he's probably already away from here…_ As I closed the door to my bedroom behind me, I felt the headache I had managed to get rid of returning. _Whatever, I'll just go to sleep. It's not like there's anything I can do to fix this now anyway…_ I flopped down on my bed and snuggled into the blankets, closing my eyes as I did. In an effort to keep myself emotionally stable enough in order to fall asleep, I cleared my mind of every single thought, but as my consciousness began to fade into dreams, there was one, single thought remaining.

 _Yuzuru… I still really want things to work out…_

* * *

"Yuzuru-kun?!" The black-haired girl exclaimed once she saw me sitting at a table, her eyes widening in surprise as she almost dropped the tray of food she was carrying.

"Yo! What's up, Yui-san?" I greeted the black-haired girl standing in front of me casually, raising my hand as I did. "I got released from hospital today, if you can't tell." Yui stared at me for a few seconds, before shaking herself out of her shock and setting her tray down on the table, sitting down opposite of me. _Wait… Yui-san sitting down like that… Well, I guess there goes my plan of clearing my thoughts…_

After spending about five minutes sitting outside Yuri's door after my major fuck up, trying to muster up the courage to go back inside and talk with the girl, I gave up and submitted to my own cowardice. Yuri's sudden kiss had caught me completely off-guard, and while I had enjoyed it (as I do harbour feelings towards her), the mere shock of it caused my brain to stop working properly. That, combined with the unfamiliar, unnerving feeling of dread in the pit of my stomach somehow triggered my "fight or run" instincts, and the next thing I know, I was outside Yuri's apartment already. And after spending a bit of time thinking about it, I came to a simple conclusion.

I am a coward.

A coward with no prior experience with women and conflicted, _confused_ feelings about two particular women in my life, but still a coward. I had perhaps always known in the back of my mind that I was attracted to Yuri, and believed that I wouldn't mind being in a relationship with her, but never believed that she could possibly harbour similar feelings towards me. And so, with my recent realization about my own feelings, as well as the situation with Kanade, Yuri's sudden (possibly?) romantic gesture was too much for me in such little time. _Regaining my memories – especially those from my previous life – gave me some confidence in myself, but in the end…_ _I'm_ _still_ _such a coward and a jerk… I hurt Yuri with my own cowardice and selfishness,_ _believing_ _that she couldn't think that way about me. I don't know whether her kiss was a spur-of-the-moment kind of thing, or if there were_ genuine _feelings behind it… Either way, me running off was the worst thing I could have done in that moment._

 _And here I thought I was chill after recovering all of my memories. I guess they didn't affect my personality or demeanour as much as Iwasawa's when she regained hers…_

"Yuzuru-kun? Are you okay?" A feminine voice pulled me out of my thoughts, and I looked across the table to meet Yui's brown eyes looking at me in concern. _Oh, I spaced out a little again. And I doubt the expression on my face was a pleasant one, given my thoughts…_ The image of Yuri's pained face from before I left her lingered in my mind, but I chose to ignore it in order to focus on the main reason I came to see Yui today.

"I'm fine, sorry. Just… Had a bit of a run-in with a… _friend_. I'll have to talk it out with them later, but that's not important now." I replied to Yui, knowing that she probably wouldn't let me just shrug the thing off as nothing. _And i_ _t_ _'s not like I'm lying. I need to talk with Yuri about that, but not right now… I need to clear my thoughts a bit more, and get the business with Yui-san out of the way first._

"Hmm… If you say so, Yuzuru-kun." Yui replied to me and took a spoonful of curry into her mouth. _Heh, at least it's not Mapo Tofu…_ "So, are you going to start coming to lessons, then? You weren't here before lunch break." Yui asked after she finished chewing.

"Oh, not for a couple of days. Mikado-sensei told me that I should stay at home for a few days and rest, even though I already recovered from my concussion and the short-term memory loss I had." I only realized what I had let out of my mouth when I saw Yui freezing in place midway through in placing another spoon of curry into her mouth. _Well… I guess that's one way to bring up that topic…_

"..." Yui stayed still for a few seconds, then lowered the spoon back to her plate, along with her gaze. _...Though maybe I could have been more discreet about it._ "...So you remember that I..." Yui started, hesitantly raising her gaze to meet mine, and I nodded to her as an answer. "I… I'm sorry I… ran away. You… You got hurt because I ran away, Yuzuru-kun, and I… I can't ever forgive myself..." Yui's hands began to tremble, and I reached out with my own and took hold of hers, causing the girl to jump a little in surprise.

"Don't blame yourself for it, Yui-san." I said and squeezed the girl's hand reassuringly. "You wouldn't have ran away from me if I had been even a little more thoughtful with what I said to you. _I'm_ the one who should be sorry for you, Yui-san." Yui's eyes widened a little, and I could see tears starting to form in the corners of her eyes, but she used her free hand to wipe them away. "What I said was… _insensitive_ , and I wanted to apologize to you. I… shouldn't have said it like that."

"I-it's fine, Yuzuru-kun. I… I understand you. I just… I wanted you to know how I felt, but… It took all my courage to say it to you, so when you… _r-rejected_ me..." Yui bit her lip, and I felt a tinge of guilt going through me, knowing that I had hurt yet another girl.

"I'm really sorry that I can't… _return your feelings_. But…you know, Yui-san..." I felt my cheeks heating up slightly and I awkwardly scratched my cheek as I glanced around. _What I'm about to say… It's the truth, but it still feels embarrassing…_ It seemed that nobody around us had caught onto our conversation yet, though a few glances were sent towards my hand grasping Yui's. "If I didn't already… If you had… You know… _earlier…_ I might have… gone for it. I-I mean… It's not like you're _bad-looking_ or anything, and now that I've gotten to know you better..." Yui silenced me by placing her free hand on top of mine, and I looked back towards her, only to be met with Yui's smiling face.

" _Arigatou_ , Yuzuru." The combination of her soft hand on top of mine, and hearing Yui calling me by my first name without using any honorifics caused my cheeks to heat up even more. _If I had gotten to know Yui-san at any point before I met Yuri… I may very well have fallen for her instead._ "It's alright. Just knowing that you think that way of me… Is enough for me. I mean… Since you already _like_ someone… It can't be helped." Yui paused for a moment and bit her lip, as if deciding whether or not she should continue with what she was going to say. "Speaking of that… Can I… take a guess at… you know." Yui asked after a couple of seconds, her cheeks reddening slightly as well. _Given what she knows of me… I won't have a hard time guessing whose name she's going to say…_ I nodded to Yui again, and the girl took a deep breath, likely to calm herself. "Well… It's… Nakamura-san, right?" Yui asked quietly, and I gave her a slow nod as an answer. _I shouldn't hide it from her._

"You're… correct. However… The situation isn't… _that easy_." _My feelings for Kanade need to be accounted for as well… Right, I should probably try to see if I can find her at some point. Maybe someone here has seen her?_

"Is… she the 'friend' who you had a… ' _run-in_ ' with, as you described it?" Yui asked from me, tilting her head slightly as she did. _I guess Yui-san is sharper than I give her credit for..._

"Eh? Oh, well… Yeah, she is. I'm just great at upsetting girls, aren't I? I've never been good with the opposite sex, – until I met Yuri, that is, but that's because of our 'shared past' – and I really believed that I had changed for the better after I regained my memories, but… I guess it isn't that simple to change yourself." Yui looked back at me with a sympathetic look in her eyes. _I definitely would have fallen for her eventually, had she not acted so…_ hostile _towards me for the first year…_

"Yuzuru." Suddenly hearing my name from behind me startled me, and I whipped my head around to be met with a girl's face quite close to mine – and it wasn't just any girl.

"T-Tachibana-san? What are you… When did you..?" I quickly leaned away from the silver-haired girl before my memories of last night resurfaced any more vividly. _How can she just appear out of nowhere like that? And with a tray of food as well… Though, I guess I wasn't paying that much attention to my surroundings_ _, as I was talking with Yui-san_ _._ "Are you… Okay? You just… _disappeared_ yesterday, and didn't answer to mine or Yuri's messages at all." Kanade looked back at me, her expression changing ever so slightly to a more confused one, before her eyes widened a little in realization.

"Oh, right. I shut off my phone before I came to visit you in the hospital, and I must have forgotten to put it back on." Kanade said bluntly as she placed her tray down next to me. "It must still be in my coat pocket. Sorry about that." _This girl… Yuri and I were worried about what caused her sudden disappearance, and all she had done was forgotten to put her phone back on…_ I let out a drawn-out sigh as Kanade sat down next to me, her gaze shifting over to my hand, which – while it wasn't on top of Yui's any longer due me turning my body to face Kanade just now – was still quite close to the black-haired girl's hand, our fingers nearly touching. "Did I perhaps interrupt something, Yuzuru?" Kanade asked and pointed a finger at mine and Yui's hands, raising an eyebrow as she did.

"Ah!" Both Yui and I exclaimed at the same time, pulling our hands away from each other, a light dusting of red on both of our cheeks. Kanade narrowed her eyes at me, but then looked back at her meal, uttered a quiet ' _itadakimasu_ ' and began eating. _Well… That could have gone worse, I guess. She could have walked in on me and Yui-san talking about what happened on Friday._

"Well, putting aside your _infidelity_ , I am glad to see you've been released from hospital, Yuzuru." Kanade said to me with a small smile after she had finished chewing her first spoonful of _Mapo tofu_. _Wait… what did she just say? 'Infidelity'? Is she… serious?_ I hesitantly looked towards Yui, to see if she had caught what Kanade had just said. Based on the look of confusion on her face, I assumed that she had. "Now that we remember the time we spent together in the Afterlife, we can continue on from there together – just like _fate_ intended." Yui's eyes widened a little as Kanade mentioned our memories, her gaze frantically shifting between the two of us. _She really needs to do something about her bluntness, the clumsy little angel…_ "Oh, but you mentioned sending a message to me that I didn't respond to. What was it about?" Kanade turned to look towards me as she took another spoonful of Mapo tofu into her mouth. _I'm still stunned that she can eat that with a straight face… Though I guess she was like that in the Afterlife as well…_

"That? Well..." I glanced at Yui, who was simply looking back at me, a million questions written all over her facial expression. "The message had… to do with what you've just said and… _implied_." Kanade tilted her head slightly as she stopped her chewing, curious about what I could mean. "And… also about what _happened_ yesterday." Kanade stared at me for a few moments, completely still, before swallowing and cleaning her mouth with a napkin.

"Alright, let's hear it then, Yuzuru." Kanade said, and I glanced at Yui again, giving the girl a look of ' _I'll tell you later_ '.

"Basically… I need some time. Time to _sort out_ my feelings, as well as sort out things with Yuri. Now even more than when I sent the message to you given what… Well, given what happened earlier today. So, until I can make a _decision…_ I would prefer it if you acted… _normal_ around me." Kanade moved her gaze from me down to her plate, staying silent for a while. _I need to think about this whole thing more, and find out what Yuri_ really _thinks of me. If she_ doesn't _love me, then the decision seems easy, but if her sudden kiss had more meaning behind it…_ _I don't think my jumbled feelings can handle a decision as tough as that._

"I see." Kanade's voice brought me out of my thoughts, and I saw the silver-haired girl beginning to eat again. "Of course, Yuri… I hadn't thought of her… Sorry, talking to myself." _Does… Kanade know something? About… Yuri's feelings towards me? It would make sense if she did, they are best friends, after all…_ I looked back towards Yui, who was still wearing the same confused expression on her face. _Ah, but I probably shouldn't think about all this now. That can wait until I get home._

After briefly explaining to Yui that the two of us had regained our memories of the Afterlife (but leaving out the details about the feelings Kanade and I had for each other), the two girls resumed their respective meals, with Yui making occasional chatter. She had met Kanade a few times already, and they didn't seem to have any problems with finding things to talk about, though Yui did still seem to have some problems in dealing with Kanade's bluntness. I joined in their chatter whenever I could, as I didn't have anything else to do anyway, and I wanted to keep my thoughts away from the current situation. However, I couldn't help my thoughts wandering back to Yuri, my feelings towards her, how much I fucked up by running away from her like a coward, but most importantly, wondering what _her_ feelings towards me were. Currently, all of the evidence pointed towards the possibility that Yuri also harboured feelings for me, but I couldn't yet assume that was the case. But if it was… then our feelings for each other would be mutual, which would then bring up the question…

 _Who should I choose?_

* * *

" _Y-Yuri? W-why did you..." Yuzuru asked as the two of us separated, his hands still holding onto my shoulders._

" _I-isn't it obvious?" I replied and averted my gaze from him. "I-it's because I… you know… f-feelings..." I muttered, the blush on my cheeks deepening with each passing moment._

" _You… you what?" Yuzuru asked, and I turned my gaze back towards him, his obliviousness starting to frustrate me._

" _Dummy!" I shouted, then captured his lips with my own again for a brief moment. "I k-kissed you because I… I love you, Yuzuru!" I exclaimed form the bottom of my heart, wrapping my arms around his neck as I pressed my forehead against his chest. After a few seconds of silence, I felt Yuzuru's hands move from my shoulders to my head as he embraced me, stroking my hair with his hands._

" _Well, I guess I really am a dummy… But I'm a dummy who loves you too, Yuri."_

I slowly stirred awake from my dreams, reaching out for my phone on the nightstand, only to find that my phone was nowhere to be found. _What..? But I always leave it…_ _Oh, right…_ _I left it in the kitchen when…_ A flood of memories assaulted me as my sleepiness lifted, and with them a multitude of feelings. Sadness, anger, _regret_. _Agh, why did I have to do such a stupid thing and scare him off… I guess I expected things to go as they did in the dream…_ I let out a sigh and stood up from bed, noticing that not only was my headache gone, but so was the feeling of discomfort I had, and if my rumbling stomach was any indication, I was quite hungry as well. _Well, I'd best get going before my hangover returns._ I thought as I stretched and made my way out of my bedroom and into the kitchen. While I knew that there was no way Yuzuru would still be sitting at the table, waiting for me, a part of me felt _disappointed_ that he wasn't there. _I let my emotions get the better of me… With the hangover messing with my train of thought and making my feelings a jumbled mess, I ended up fucking up big time._ I picked up my phone from the table and unlocked it. _It's past 4pm already? Sheesh, that was a long nap… Well, at least it seemed to clear up my hangover somewhat._ I found myself unconsciously checking my message history with both Yuzuru and Kanade, but neither had sent me anything new, and my messages to Kanade were still unread. I felt a frown forming on my face, so I closed my phone, dropped it back onto the table and made my way over to the fridge.

"Let's see, then… What can I have for lunch… Well, I guess it's more like dinner this late..." I said to myself as I opened the fridge and scanned through its contents. It was the start of the week, and I hadn't had the chance to go shopping today because of my hangover, so the contents of the fridge were… quite scarce, to say the least. _Hmmm… Guess I'll just have some Cup Noodles, then…_ I thought and took out the foam cup containing my dinner for today and readied some more water in the water heater.

While I waited for the water to heat up, I picked my phone back up from the table and navigated to my contacts list, feeling the need to apologize to Yuzuru for what I did. _But what should I say to him? "I'm sorry I randomly kissed you like that"? "_ _My feelings were a bit conflicted due to the hangover"?_ _Nothing seems like it would be a great idea to send him…_ Before I realized it, the water heater had finished its job, and I hadn't managed to think of anything to send to Yuzuru, the message box remaining empty. I let out a sigh and placed my phone back on the table, making my way over to the water heater to turn it off and pour its contents into the cup of instant noodles, taking a pair of chopsticks out as I did. _It's not the best meal to have, but I don't have much choice._ After I finished adding the hot water, I took the cup and sat down to eat.

" _Itadakimasu_." I said and briefly clapped my hands together, then added the seasoning to the noodles and gently stirred it with the chopsticks while my eyes wandered back over to my phone. _I really need to tell him I'm sorry_ _for earlier today. What I did must have shocked him greatly. Even then… Why would he run away like that?_ I lifted some of the noodles up and gently blew on them to cool them down before putting them into my mouth. _In my hangover-induced emotional, depressed mess that was my mental state, I jumped to the most drastic conclusion, but now that I think about it with a clearer head… I'm fairly certain that is not the case._

 _Yuzuru most definitely feels at least_ something _towards me._

I reached out for my phone with one hand as I ate with the other, staring at the empty message box displayed on screen below Yuzuru's contact information. _Though, he did admit to remembering the feelings he had for Kanade…_ _Then again, he did also say that it didn't feel "_ right _" to him, that maybe following along blindly with fate wasn't the best – or_ only – _option. It's what initially caused my feelings to spill over, causing me to… k-kiss him…_ I felt my cheeks heating up as I remembered the feeling of kissing Yuzuru, but shook my head to clear away the incoming blush. _No, I need to have a clear head for this. I need to think rationally._ I took a few deep breaths to calm myself even further, then resumed my eating – and thinking. _So, if I start with the assumption that my guess about Yuzuru's feelings towards me is correct, that he does indeed harbour romantic feelings towards me…_ _It would make sense that he wouldn't be sure what to think about his feelings towards Kanade._ _Still, for him to be_ that _shocked by my kiss..? Anyway, if my assumption is_ wrong _, however… I don't want to think about. No, I_ can't _think about it. I'm_ completely _sure that Yuzuru has some kind of feelings towards me. And as lo_ _n_ _g as that's the case… I have a chance._ I reached out into the foam cup with my chopsticks, but there was nothing in the cup to grab a hold of. _Did I really eat all of this without even noticing? I guess I was really hungry…_ I placed the chopsticks onto the table and held the cup up to my mouth, drinking the rest of the liquid along with any remnants of the ramen within it. After finishing my meal, I cleaned up both the now-empty cup noodles, and the half-drunk cups of coffee that Yuzuru and I had left behind earlier, then went back to my phone, the empty message draft staring back at me.

"Hmmm… I can't still think of anything, even after eating… Maybe the shower will help. If nothing else, I'll have more time to think. And get myself out of these _NEET_ clothes..." I walked back into my bedroom and left my phone charging, then made my way into the bathroom. Shedding my clothes and leaving them on top of the washing machine, I stopped just as I was about to enter shower when I saw my own reflection in the mirror above the sink.

I had never really paid any special attention to keeping myself fit or _sexy_ , but my frequent part-time jobs kept my sleeping schedule steady and my lifestyle healthy, with exceptions such as with Iwasawa being few and far between. Nonetheless, I was proud of my own body, and even if I wasn't the perfect swimsuit model, I thought I still had a great figure. At 160 centimetres, I wasn't particularly tall, but at least I wasn't as short as Kanade was, nor was my _chest_ as small as hers was. _Though if I compare mine to Kotegawa-san's, hers are definitely bigger… Wait, am I reall_ _y doing this? Comparing_ chest sizes _with my… romantic rivals? No, I can't think like that! Yuzuru is not the type of guy to go after a girl_ _based on how_ _big her tits are…_

 _At least, I hope so._

I slapped myself on the cheek and shook my head to clear away the negative thoughts and headed inside the shower to clean myself up. Aside from that, I also spent the time trying to think of what to do with the situation with Yuzuru. I definitely felt like I needed to apologize to him for startling him with the sudden kiss, but I didn't know what I should say to him, or how I should explain the kiss to him. _Maybe he'll finally take a hint and realize that I have feelings towards him. Or then, he might just attribute it to my hangover._ _Either way, I need to talk with him about the whole thing, sooner rather than later._

After I finished with the shower, I dried myself up and put on some proper clothes. While I was drying my hair with a hairdryer, I noticed that my reflection in the mirror was looking much better than when I had first woken up today. While one could still see the slight bags under my eyes, my complexion was looking much more healthy. In other words, my nap and shower had made me actually presentable, should I decide to go out. _Which I'll probably have to do, if I want to go buy something to fill the fridge with, or if I want to go and meet Yuzuru…_ My grip on the hairdryer tightened slightly, but I shook my head and continued drying my hair. _I don't need to think that far yet. I'll have to send him an apology message of some sort first._ After I finished drying my hair, I took out a light-green headband from one of the cabinets in the bathroom and placed it on my head, combing my hair at the same time. My hair wasn't that long, so I didn't usually have problems with it, but it sometimes stuck out messily after a shower, so I had a few headbands around to keep it in check. _Now, the message to Yuzuru._ I made my way back into my bedroom, noting that it was getting close to 5pm on the way there. Before I turned on the lights in my bedroom, I noticed that there was a dim light coming from my phone from where I had left it charging, telling me that I had gotten a message while I had been in the shower. _Yuzuru? Or perhaps it's Kanade?_ I walked over to my bed and sat down on it, picking up my phone and unlocking it as I did. _Let's see… Oh, it is from Yuzuru._

 _"Yuri. We… need to talk. I… don't think I need to tell you what about. Can you… call me?_

 _\- Yuzuru"_

The short, but straightforward text message seemed to stare back at me as I held my phone, my gaze glued onto the screen. _I… guess I could have just simply said the same thing to him myself… Well, it's not like I wasted time thinking about a response, though. At least I'll be somewhat prepared to talk with him._ Yuzuru had sent the message to me about twenty minutes ago, which would have been a little after I began my shower. As I started to type out a response for him, however… I hesitated. I bit my lip as my fingers hovered over the buttons, and I found myself in the same situation as before, not knowing what kind of message I should send to Yuzuru. _Should I just… straight up call him, like he asked me to? He'll probably be at home at this point… Hmmm… Maybe it would be best to talk about this with him face-to-face. That way, if I find myself in a situation where_ confessing _to him is required…_ My train of thought was interrupted as the phone in my hands buzzed, and I looked back down to see that I had received another text message – but this time from _Kanade_. I hurriedly dismissed the empty draft and navigated to my message history with Kanade to see what she had sent me.

 _"Hello, Yuri. Firstly, I'd like to apologize for my late reply to your messages. I turned my phone off yesterday and forgot about it entirely, until Yuzuru reminded me about it earlier today. As such, I did not see the message you two had sent me until now."_

 _Seriously? I didn't think even you were capable of that, Kanade..._

 _"Secondly, about the message I sent you yesterday… Yes, it may have been cryptic. But, it was all I could think of to send to you in that moment. I wanted to say more, but I just couldn't put it all into words. As for what I meant with it… I sent it to you shortly before I went to visit Yuzuru in the hospital. I'm… not going to hide it, or lie to you. I confessed to him. And through my confession, we were able to regain our memories from the Afterlife. All of them."_

My hands began to tremble as I read through the message. _I was right…_

 _"I know I said that regaining our memories would take priority over_ _our 'love triangle', but that is exactly why I did what I did. For I knew that the only way for Yuzuru and I to regain our memories, was for the two of us to be together, like we are fated to be._ _So, once again, Yuri, I am sorry._ _I know that it's very selfish of me,_ _but Fate requires that Yuzuru and I are together._ _Yuzuru_ _said that he needed some time, and I've given it to him, but tomorrow…_ _Tomorrow I'll be making it sure to him that his –_ our – _fate cannot be changed."_

Kanade's text was quite melodramatic, and I honestly couldn't even imagine hearing her say the same words out loud, but… I knew they were no joke. _Kanade takes this whole "fate" stuff really seriously… Her love for Yuzuru must be_ _strong… But if she's going to be selfish…_

 _Then so am I._

Now filled with determination, my hands were no longer trembling, and I wrote a quick reply to Kanade.

 _"Then you can allow me to be a little selfish as well, Kanade."_

After hitting send, I stood up from my bed, pocketing my phone as I did. _If Kanade is going make her next move tomorrow…_ I took out my coat from my cabinet and made my way to the door of my apartment. _...That just means I have to make my move today._ After I put my shoes on, I reached out for the door handle, but hesitated before grabbing it. All the anxiety was suddenly coming back to me, flooding my head with negative thoughts. _What if Kanade is right? What if fate_ can't _be changed, and Yuzuru will simply reject me due to his love for Kanade?_ I felt my phone buzzing in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a reply from Kanade displayed on screen.

 _"I will watch you try. I'm sorry, Yuri, but I am not backing down on this. I never knew I could feel like this about someone, and I know Yuzuru feels the same way about me. You weren't there when he poured his heart out for me in the Afterlife. I can make him happy, I know it."_

Kanade's message did not help ease the growing anxiety and feeling of _dread_ I had, and I found myself swallowing down a lump forming in my throat. I noticed that I was shaking a little again, but I took a few deep breaths to calm myself. _I can't give up, not without at least trying. Not without having Yuzuru know about my feelings. I would never forgive myself for it._ I reached out for the handle again and wrapped my hand around the metallic object. _Without my memories, I don't know if I loved Yuzuru in the Afterlife, and that's where my feelings stem from, but… That doesn't matter. What matters is that I_ love _him, and he needs to know it._ I took another deep breath as I shut off the lights and pulled the handle down, unlocking the door. _But if there's one thing I know about what I was like back then from listening to Iwasawa and Hinata… It's that I was not the type of person to submit to the whims of Fate._ With one swift motion, I opened the door, then closed and locked it behind me as I stepped outside into the dark, cloudy evening, with the last rays of the sun barely visible over the horizon.

And then, I ran.

* * *

 **AN: And we're done! Kanade has started to feel a little like the "antagonist" of the story now, which wasn't really originally my plan, but she's been slowly going towards that direction ever since chapter 8 or so. But, it's necessary for every story to have some conflict, especially considering the climax – which I would say we are at currently. If she – or any of the other characters – feels a bit "OOC", just take it as… an "imperfect reincarnation", so to speak. They've all lived different lives than the ones they've had before, so naturally, they would grow to become slightly different personality-wise as well.**

 **And as I said at the beginning, this is one of the final chapters for the story. A couple of chapters and a possible epilogue, and this story will be wrapped up!**


	14. Final Chapter - Changing Fate

**AN: Hello again, my dear readers! It seems as if I wasn't quite able to finish this story by the end of August (as I've started writing this on the first of September), but I came quite close. That's right, what you're reading right now is the _final_ chapter to this story. Well, I guess technically you're reading the Author's note for the final chapter, but close enough. It's been nearly a year since I started this story, and I've improved a whole lot as a writer during that time, and now it's finally time to write up the conclusion.**

 **Now, without any further delays, let's get this " _Fated finale_ " on the way! ;)**

* * *

 **Final Chapter – Changing Fate**

 _She's seen it… But why isn't she responding?_

I stared at the message displayed on my phone's screen while I quietly sat on the couch, taking a sip from my tea before placing the cup back down on the table. The message was relatively short and simple, and had reached its recipient, but there was no response. No incoming call, like I had asked for, and not even a message back to me. _I guess I now feel what it's like to be "_ left on read"…I let out a sigh and placed the phone on the table in front of me, leaning back on the couch as I did. _What are you doing right now, Yuri?_

After lunch break at the University had finished, I had returned home, picking up some groceries on the way. Then, I had spent about an hour trying to think of a message to send to Yuri, but not being able to come up with anything, I ended up having a bit of a late lunch instead. Afterwards, I tried to get some studying done to catch up and clear my head, but couldn't help my thoughts wandering back to recent events. Before I knew it, it was already getting quite late, and I had practically wasted away the day. I ended up sending a short message to Yuri, where I simply said that we needed to talk, and I asked her to call me. It was hilariously simple, and it had taken me multiple hours to get to that point, which made the whole situation even _more_ hilarious. So much so, that I was past the point of laughing, and was only able to hit myself over my stupidity.

"I really am an idiot..." I sighed again and picked up my tea – green, of course – and took a sip from the cup, then placed it back down and stared into the warm liquid. _I feel like I've given this whole thing_ too much _thought at this point… But let's recap and see if I can think of something new._

I _love_ Yuri, that much is certain. I met her, befriended her, got to know her better, and eventually, fell in love with her – most likely much before I even realized my own feelings. However, there's also Kanade, whom I fell in love with in the Afterlife, before my reincarnation into this current life I'm living. When Kanade confessed to me yesterday, it made me remember everything about my time in the Afterlife, including my feelings towards the girl. This leaves me in my current situation: I'm in love with two girls. _But… The unknown element in the equation is Yuri's feelings._ _Unlike with Kanade, I don't actually know what she feels towards me… But if her sudden_ kiss _is anything to go by… Well, I can't assume things like that yet, not without getting confirmation about Yuri's feelings from the girl herself, which would mean…_

 _A confession._

I felt my cheeks heating up and my heartbeat rising rapidly as I imagined Yuri confessing her love to me, and found my thoughts wandering back to the kiss we had shared earlier today. I quickly shook my head to clear my thoughts and took another sip of my tea to distract myself from any _impure_ thoughts. _Back then, the feelings that coursed through me were_ _much_ stronger _than the ones I had when Kanade kissed me, that much is certain. But does that mean… I love Yuri more than Kanade? I can't really tell…_

"Why is this so hard..." I picked up my phone again and unlocked it, being met with the message I had sent to Yuri once again. _Yuri… If she_ doesn't _love me, then the simple choice would be to just accept that, and then 'choose' Kanade, just as Fate intended, but… That thought makes me feel uneasy, somehow…_ "But if she does love me..." I found my fingers hovering over the phone as various ideas of messages I could send to Yuri floated around in my mind, but I couldn't bring myself to writing any of them. _It won't do any good to send her any more messages. I've already told her we need to talk, and that's enough for now – until we do actually talk._ I exited out of my message history with Yuri, and as I was about to put my phone back down, I noticed that Kanade had now read the message I sent to her last night. _I guess that means she's put her phone back on… Hmmm… I wonder…_ I opened up my message history with Kanade, and sent the girl a quick message, not really thinking about it that much until I had already hit send.

 _"Are you free to talk right now?"_

I didn't really know why I had sent her that. Perhaps I hoped that I could try to get some answers out of the silver-haired girl regarding Yuri and her feelings, because not knowing was my current biggest roadblock. I could try to come up with an infinite number of possibilities, but my ignorance when it came not only to Yuri's feelings, but the feelings of _any_ girl would make every single one of those possibilities be nowhere near to anything that could actually happen. _It all boils down to my inexperience… I've been thrust into a whole new situation that I don't know what to do about. If I knew what Yuri really thought of me, if her kiss was due to something else other than a mind messed up by a hangover… I might have an easier time trying to figure out my own feelings towards the girls, and what I should do about them… Or, it might do the opposite, and make my "decision" harder._ Before I realized, my phone vibrated in my hands as I received a reply from Kanade.

 _"I am. What is it, Yuzuru? Do you need me to call you?"_

I bit my lip as I read Kanade's reply. _I can't just straight up ask her about Yuri's feelings…_ _I guess I could somehow ease her into telling me something by steering the conversation in that direction, but… Now that I think about it, I'm not even sure that I'm comfortable with hearing it from Kanade. If_ _Yuri_ does _love me… I'd much rather hear it from_ _her own mouth_ _._ A blush crept its way onto my face as I thought of Yuri _confessing_ to me again, but I forced the thought out of my mind and focused back on my phone.

 _"_ _You don't need to trouble yourself. I was just wondering if you had talked with Yuri today. She's probably been worried that you haven't been answering your phone at all."_

I finished typing out a reply to Kanade, but hesitated slightly before pressing the send button. _I shouldn't ask Kanade about it. Even if she knew, it's not her place to say it._ I pushed "send" and reached for my teacup again, taking a long sip from it as I navigated back to my message history with Yuri. _I'll just have to find out what she thinks of me myself. Hmm… I could always do the_ confession _myself, and see how she reacts… No, even the thought is making me embarrassed! Though, it might be the best way to get her to tell me about her feelings without me straight up asking from her…_ _In any case, that will be a question for when I actually get to talk with Yuri._ I once again found myself gazing at the message I had sent to Yuri, not knowing what to do in this situation. _The ball is in her court now,_ _but… Why is she not responding?_ A sudden feeling of dread washed over me as I thought of the possibility that something might have happened to Yuri. And as this feeling came over me, I couldn't help but think that it was _stronger_ than when I was worried about Kanade's whereabouts earlier. _I can't think like that! They're both precious to me, and one shouldn't "rank" their friends like that in the first place… Anyway, I can't let that stay uncertain._ I placed the teacup back on the table and quickly wrote another message to Yuri.

 _"Are you okay, Yuri? You haven't answered yet, and I'm worried."_

As I read the message with some thought after sending it, I realized how cheesy it sounded, and how _clingy_ it made me seem. _It's totally normal to feel worried for your_ friends _, right?_ _Yeah, Yuri should understand that I'm just worried for her because she's my friend. Well, to me, she's_ more _than just a friend, as I do harbour romantic feelings towards her, but… She doesn't need to know that._

 _Not yet._

…

 _Wait, that just made it sound like I'm_ planning _on confessing to her._

I felt my cheeks heating up for the third time in a very short time, and I shook my head again as I reached for the teacup, draining the rest of its contents to calm myself. _I would never have imagined that falling in love with another person would affect me like this…_ I let out a small sigh and got up from the couch, leaving my phone on the table and bringing the now-empty cup to the kitchen. As I stepped over to the elevated floor of the kitchen, I paused for a moment, remembering the particular _incident_ associated with the elevated step nearly two weeks ago. _It seemed like Yuri might have been trying to kiss me back then… All the evidence I have would point towards Yuri possibly harbouring feelings towards me, but I cannot be completely sure of that._ My thoughts were interrupted as I heard my phone vibrating on the table, and I quickly placed the empty cup I was still holding onto the kitchen counter, then made my way back onto the couch. _Could Yuri have replied to me? Then again, it could very well be Kanade as well._ Unlocking my phone, I was met with a message not from Yuri, but from Kanade – which made me a little

disappointed.

 _"I have spoken with Yuri – through text messaging, that is. I told her what had happened with my phone, and that I had visited you yesterday. I also took the liberty of informing her that both of us have regained our memories. Though, you did mention something happening with Yuri earlier today, before we met at the University. What was it about?"_

I sat down on the couch as I read through Kanade's message. _Well, at least Yuri knows that Kanade is okay… But… Should I tell her what happened? I_ did _avoid telling her about the subject when we met earlier today, but…_ After a few moments of thinking about the possible outcomes of telling Kanade about what had transpired when I visited Yuri, I decided against it. If Yuri wanted to tell Kanade about it later, she could do so herself.

 _"Ah, I met up with Yuri before I came to the University, and I told her that I had regained my memories. We… had a bit of a '_ fight _' as well, you could say, but nothing we won't be able to resolve."_

After I sent the message to Kanade, I navigated back to the message I had sent to Yuri, seeing that the girl had yet to read it. _That just makes my fears of something having happened to her even worse…_ I bit my lip as my hold on the phone tightened, then I took a deep breath to calm myself. _No, I can't jump to the worst assumptions immediately. I've only just sent the message, and Yuri could very well be in a situation where she can't look at her phone_ _right now._ I continued to stare at the message, my eyes focusing on the " _unread_ " icon below it for what felt like minutes. _The ball is in Yuri's court, but…_

"Oh, fuck it." I said to myself and quickly moved my fingers to dial Yuri's number, bringing the phone to my ear as I looked outside the window, seeing raindrops steadily hitting the glass.

 _Yuri… Where are you right now?_

* * *

"Ugh… Damn it! I should have brought my other coat..."

I tried my best to shield myself from the rain as I stood at the edge of a crosswalk, waiting for the light to turn green. It had been overcast when I left my apartment, and as I ran through the streets, I could see people walking around with their umbrellas, and cars with an obvious covering of raindrops on them passing by, but I paid little attention to them, believing that I could make it to Yuzuru's place before the rain clouds moved over this part of the city.

As it turns out, I was wrong.

I hadn't gotten far before I felt the first drops hitting me, and soon it was pouring with rain. Not quite heavily, like a typhoon, but definitely enough to soak me well. _My other coat would have definitely been a better choice for this weather. Then again, I have spent the entire day inside sleeping and nursing a hangover, so it's not like I was able to predict this anyway. But I won't back away now and go back home. I_ can't _back away now._ When the light finally turned green, I ran across to the other side of the road, weaving my way through the groups of people. I had half a mind to nab an umbrella from someone I ran past, but just bit my lip and continued on, trying to keep myself as dry as possible by running underneath as many balconies, roofs and other outcroppings as I could – as well as taking advantage of the umbrellas of the people I passed by. _After this residential district, I should be at the train station just as the next train is about to leave. I'll be able to take that, dry myself off during the ride and then drop off at the station near Yuzuru's place._ _Fifteen minutes tops._ Just as I turned left at the end of the block – seeing the station in the distance – a speeding car drove past me right through a large puddle of rainwater that had accumulated on the edge of the road next to the sidewalk, causing said rainwater to splash out in all directions, but most importantly, at _me_.

"Kyaaah!" I shouted out as I jumped to the side, but it was already too late. The car had appeared from behind me, so I hadn't seen it coming at all. And given that even the wall of the building on my left had gotten water splashed on it, I would have gotten soaked even if I _had_ seen it coming. _Ugh… well, there goes my chances of drying up…_ I let out a sigh, not knowing if I should laugh or cry in an almost cliché situation like this, then continued on my way to the station.

Carefully avoiding any chances of my clothes getting more wet than they already were, I soon found myself running into the shelter of the train station, and for the first time today, I was _thankful_ that I had chosen this coat over my other one, as my _Suica_ **[1]** was in the pocket of this one. Ironically, I would have gotten _more_ wet had I chosen my other coat, since I wouldn't have even been able to get _inside_ the train station without my Suica. _I really don't fancy the idea of running all the way from my apartment to Yuzuru's in that rain…_ I thought as I caught my breath, looking up at the train line schedule for today. _Right…_ _The train that stops at the station near Yuzuru's place will be here at platform_ _three_ _in… Two minutes? No time to stand around, then._ Navigating my way around the station, it didn't take long before I was standing at platform three, watching as the train slowed to a halt in front of me – precisely on time. As I stepped into the train and sat down at a free seat, I let out a drawn-out sigh, feeling all the energy and adrenaline that had carried me this far leaving my body along with it. Not even bothering with trying to dry my clothes, I slouched back in the seat and closed my eyes. _I made it… With this, I'll be a quick jog away from Yuzuru's apartment… But…_ _what do I do when I get there? I hadn't really thought that far…_ I opened my eyes and turned my gaze towards the window, watching the raindrops hitting the glass. _Well, obviously I'll be going there to talk with him, just like he asked me to. I'll need to explain the reasoning for my kiss to him as well, somehow. And then…_ I felt my cheeks heating up, and I could see my cheeks reddening in my reflection in the window.

 _I need to confess to him._

I swallowed and looked away from the window, my gaze wandering around the train car all over the other passengers, mostly consisting of office workers making their way back home after a long day. _W-well, it's not like I_ need _to confess to him… Oh, who am I kidding. Yuzuru won't realize my feelings for him unless I spell it out to him letter by letter._ The train stopped to a halt as it stopped at another station – still a few stops away from the one I was supposed to get off at – and I felt a chill going down my spine as the doors opened and more passengers entered. _Ugh, I really need to dry myself up… I'll do it when I get off._ I thought as a peculiar group entered the train car, not office workers like the rest of the passengers, but young adults (or possibly High Schoolers, I couldn't tell at first glance) like myself. The group consisted of two girls and three guys, and they sat down in the seats opposite to mine. One of the was dressed in all black and had matching hair, looking like the textbook definition of an emo girl, while the other one was a classic _gyaru_ **[2]** with over-the-top make-up, an obviously fake tan and dyed blonde hair. The guys were quite unremarkable, with one of them having blonde hair (I couldn't tell if it was dyed, his seemed more natural than the girl's sitting next to him), the second one being bald, and the third one – standing up since there were no more seats left as his friends sat down – smiling to himself cockily as he combed through his short dark-brown hair. _They seem like they've got a specific destination in mind, maybe a nightclub or something? It's still pretty early, though, which would tell of their eagerness, hinting towards them being High Schoolers rather than my age… Well, whatever. If teenagers want to do stupid things, who am I to stop them? I was their age not too long ago, after all._

"Man, the weather out there like, sucks right now." The bald guy said as he gazed outside the window. "Are you sure that it was a good idea to head out?" He then asked, turning to his black-haired friend.

"Of course. _My_ ideas are always good. Ain't a little rain going to ruin our night out, isn't that right, girls?" The black-haired guy replied, his voice dripping with arrogance and narcissism. Briefly, my eyes met the eyes of the emo girl, but she quickly looked away from me.

"Yeah, totally! You know it, Yoshikage!" The gyaru replied as the guy – now named Yoshikage – puffed out his chest in pride. _I haven't really ever interacted with or gotten along with boys in the past_ _anyway_ _, but people like him I can't stand_ _at all_ _._

"Don't feed his ego any more, Tomoko. I still think we shouldn't have gone out tonight, we're going to get soaked." The emo replied, her gaze flicking towards me again for a moment. _She seems the most rational out of the bunch so far…_

"Trish! I told you to call me Trish. Tomoko is like, such a boring name, you know? But like, anyway, you need to be more positive, Reimi. You're never going to get yourself a boyfriend with that attitude. Speaking of which..." The gyaru replied, while her friend let out a sigh as she closed her eyes. _Yep, seems like the most rational, all right._ I felt another chill go through my body as I observed the group opposite to me, and I adjusted my coat, along with my position on the seat slightly. Doing so, I seemingly caught the attention of the black-haired guy standing up, as he turned to face me, his eyes widening slightly as he saw me. After a few seconds of ogling at me, a shit-eating grin appeared on his face, and he began to make his way over to me. _Please don't… Oh for fuck's sake…_

"Well, what do we have here? Everything okay, girl? Got caught in the rain? Why don't I help you warm up?" He said as he came up to me, leaning against the window next to me, his friends now also looking in my direction.

"Look, if you're not even old enough to drink, don't even bother talking to me. I have zero interest in guys – no, _people –_ like you." I said harshly and looked away from him, meeting the eyes of the emo girl briefly, and I saw a small smile on her face.

"Huh? Why you..." He started, then cleared his throat. "Don't be like that, girl. Who even cares about the age when drinking, right? Look, my name's Yoshikage, how about yours, beautiful?" I had talked with this person for less than a minute and I was already feeling like punching him in the face.

"And why should I tell you? I believe I made it quite clear that I don't want to speak with you, so if you could get out of my personal space before I _remove_ you from it..." I sent a glare to the guy, receiving the twitch of an eyebrow in return.

"Playing tough, are we? Come on, girl, just tell me. You can come with us, how about that? I know a guy at this one bar, he lets us have drinks, and I'm sure he'd give someone like you a discount. So, how about it?" The guy was already getting on my nerves, and I was having to restrain myself from punching him.

"No means no. Now make good use of that mouth by shutting it up and leave me alone." I turned away from him, hoping that he would understand when to stop. _I've taken self-defence classes, so I should be fine even if he doesn't._

"Uh, Yoshikage, maybe you should leave her alone." The blonde finally spoke up. "We've already got Trish and Reimi with us, and there will be plenty more girls at the bar."

"You heard your friend. Now scram." I said, not even bothering to look towards him as I motioned for him to leave with my right hand. As soon as I extended my hand out, however, something grabbed onto it forcefully, causing me to wince in pain at the rough handling of my injured hand – which I had not bandaged up again after my shower. "Ow! Hey, what the hell are you doing?!" I asked as I snapped my head back to look towards Yoshikage, who was squeezing onto my hand painfully hard.

"Looks like you don't understand that you can't just say no to me, _bitch_." Yoshikage pulled me up from my seat and tried to secure my other hand as well, but I quickly pulled it away and gave him a good hit on the cheek with it. "Agh! You bitch, how dare you-" Before he could finish his sentence, my leg had already made its move and made contact with his groin – with quite some force, might I add.

"I warned you." I said as I pulled my right hand away from him, hiding it behind my back as I ignored the pain in my wound as much as possible. "Now get the hell out of my sight before I cause some more _permanent_ damage." As he recoiled back in pain, I glanced towards his friends on the other side of the train car, my eyes meeting the emo girl's again as she grinned deviously. _Looks like she's enjoying this. I don't blame her, though. Kicking_ _pretentious_ _people like him down a notch is always good fun, shame I don't get to do it more often._

"Oh my god, Yoshikage are you like, alright?" The gyaru asked as she stood up and walked over to us, not even looking in my direction.

"Agh… Yeah, I'm fine Trish. Just need to teach this bitch… a little lesson..." Yoshikage pushed the girl to the side and took on a crude fighting stance as he took a step closer to me. "You'll be sorry that you didn't take my initial offer when I'm done with you!" I felt a vibration in my pocket, no doubt coming from my phone, but I had no time to check it as Yoshikage started moving towards me. _Guys like him never learn…_

The next few moments, I didn't really know what had happened. It was as if something _possessed_ me, as time seemed to slow down when he approached me, and I could clearly see from his movements how inexperienced he was when it came to fighting. It sounds cliché, but it's the only way I can describe what happened.

As Yoshikage tried to hit me with his right hand, I ducked underneath it with a swiftness I didn't know I was capable of, and countered him trying to grab me with his left hand by quickly taking a hold of his wrist and twisting his hand, eliciting a grunt of pain from him. When he tried to turn his missed swing into another attempt at grabbing me, I used my now-lower position to my advantage, bouncing up and striking him in the chin with my head, aiming it so my headband hit his chin, minimizing the pain caused to me while doing the opposite to him. And as he staggered back a step from the hit, I kneed him in the stomach, causing him to hunch down, then pulled him towards me and turned him around, forcing his left arm into a nasty armlock behind his back, then grabbing his right wrist and using it to pull his right arm backwards while pushing him against the wall, overextending the joint – all with the dexterity and skill of a martial arts master, as if doing such feats with ease was a daily occurrence for me.

"Hmph, looks like you were all bark and no bite after all." I said as Yoshikage groaned in pain and tried to wriggle free, but my hold on his arms prevented him from doing so. "Now, I believe I told you to get out of my sight, or I… what was it again? Ah, right. I was going to cause some _permanent_ damage to you." I drove my point home by bending his left arm even further to the point of nearly dislocating his shoulder, and I got the feeling that if I had more strength in my own arms, I would have _definitely_ damaged some tendons, or possibly even broken a bone in his arm.

"I-I… I get it! S-so… L-let go of me, o-okay?" Yoshikage pleaded, and after a few more moments of keeping him in place, I let go of his arms and shoved him away, causing him to stumble onto the floor. As his friends looked at him with dumbfounded expressions, I lifted my right hand up and looked at my palm, wincing slightly as I saw my wound. _Well, at least it didn't reopen…_

"I hope Yuzuru has something to help with this… Might need to bandage it again..." I said to myself with a sigh and lowered my hand, taking a moment to glance around the train car. It was almost like time had stopped, with the way every person was frozen in place, their expressions ranging from shock to awe as their gazes were focused either on me, or the younger man lying on the floor. _Why are they all..?_ It took a few seconds for my brain to process everything, and one by one I met the eyes of every onlooker as the realization of what had just happened dawned on me. _What just… Did I…_ "W-wait, this is… I-I just..." I looked down at Yoshikage, who was carefully sitting up, holding onto his left shoulder. _I… I can't remember learning anything like that in the self-defence classes I took back in Middle and High School… So how was I able to do that..?_ I looked down at my hands as Yoshikage stood up, leaning onto his bald friend for support. He was trembling slightly, as were my hands.

"I, uhh… S-sorry, Yoshikage gets like that sometimes." The bald guy was the first to speak, and I shifted my gaze over to him, seeing _fear_ and _respect_ in his eyes – both things that I thought felt oddly _normal_ to see in another's eyes when being faced with something I had done. "We… We won't b-bother you any more… _S-Sensei_."

"E-eh? I-I'm not… This was just…" I felt my cheeks heating slightly at being called ' _Sensei_ ', as if they assumed I had some more martial training than I actually had. _What on earth possessed me to use such moves on him, when I've never done something like that before_ in my life… _Wait… 'In my life'? Could it be… I was skilled in hand-to-hand combat in the Afterlife? That…_ _might explain it, and seems likely to be the case, as I have no memories of anything like this from my past life._ I looked back at my hands as I suddenly felt the familiar feeling of Déjà-vu, and I closed to eyes to and try to focus on it in hopes of remembering something, but to no avail. _It's no use, I can't remember anything…_ I suddenly felt a hand on my shoulder, and my eyes shot open as I readied myself to fight again, but stopped myself once I saw that the person who had so casually touched me was in fact the emo girl, Reimi.

"Are you okay? Yoshikage didn't hurt you, did he?" The younger girl asked from me, glancing towards her friends, who had now sat down in Reimi's place on the seat opposite to me, with Yoshikage quietly looking out of the window, not meeting my gaze.

"I-I'm fine, don't worry." I replied and hid my right hand, not really wanting to tell a bunch of teenagers that I had injured myself by getting too drunk. "I'm sorry if I went a bit overboard with my self-defence, I… I honestly don't know how I managed to do what I did..." I then said, noting that the train was about to stop at the next station. _It might be worth it getting off here, as it might become too awkward to stay here…_

"It's fine, Yoshikage is a jerk anyway. And what you did was impressive. What's your name?" I suddenly felt another vibration coming from my pocket, but this time, it was continuous rather than singular, meaning that I was getting a call.

"I'm… Nakamura Yuri." I said and pulled out my phone. _Yuzuru? Right now? Oh, right… I never_ _replied to the message he sent me…_ "I… I need to take this call, and… I'll be getting off at this station as well." I took a few steps away from Reimi towards the doors as the train began to slow down, eventually stopping as the electronic voice of the announcer repeated the name of the station.

"Ah, I..." Reimi began, but I offered her a sheepish smile and jumped off the train as soon as the doors opened. _She seemed like a decent person, at least compared to her friends, but after what happened there… Yeah no._ As I stepped onto the platform, I lifted my phone up again, taking a deep breath as I stared at Yuzuru's name displayed on the screen. _Okay, here we go._

"Hey, Yuzuru." I answered the call, walking away from the train to give space for the others who were stepping off it.

"Yuri? Oh, I'm glad you're alright. You weren't answering my messages, so I got worried." Yuzuru replied to me. Hearing his voice again made me a little nervous, and I had to swallow down a lump forming in my throat.

"Sorry about that. But… was that the sole reason you called me?" I looked around the station, my gaze stopping at the train schedule displayed above me. _I'm still two stations away from Yuzuru's place, but it won't be worth it waiting for any more trains… I'd be better off running to his place from here._

"Ah, well… I was… obviously waiting for you to call me, like I had requested, so…" I could tell Yuzuru was struggling to bring the topic up. _I don't want to have this conversation with him over the phone._

"Yuzuru." I said to bring his attention to me. "We… should talk about this in person." Yuzuru went quiet for a few moments as I began to make my way out of the station, taking my Suica out of my pocket as I neared the ticket gate.

"...Right. I guess… I was kind of hoping to talk with you face-to-face as well. It's kind of late, so… Should we meet up somewhere tomorrow? Oh, and Mikado-sensei wanted to meet up with all of us at some point as well..."

"I'll be there in ten minutes." I cut off Yuzuru as I passed by the ticket gate, stopping just before stepping outside the station. The rain had subsided slightly, but was still strong enough that it would soak me thoroughly before I would get to Yuzuru's apartment.

"Eh? Here? Ten minutes? W-where are you right now, Yu-" Before Yuzuru could finish his sentence, I ended the call, letting my arm fall to my side. _I've gotten this far, so now I just need to go the rest of the way. But…_ After gazing up at the clouds for a few moments, I dropped my gaze down to my feet. ... _Why aren't my legs moving?_ I lifted my arm and looked at the phone I was gripping onto, – now tighter than before – and saw it shaking slightly. I lifted my other hand up as well and watched as it trembled, not from the cold…

...but from _fear_.

I felt my stomach churning as my anxiety grew with each passing moment, with Kanade's words echoing in my mind, the confidence I had before slowly slipping away, like the raindrops that fell onto my palm and slipped down from between my fingers. ' _Fate cannot be changed'… What if Kanade is right?_ _What if I'm going to_ lose _Yuzuru, no matter what I do?_ All the fear, anxiety and negative thoughts flooded back into my mind as I stood in place, incapable of moving anywhere, as if my legs were made of lead. Only once I felt a stinging in the wound on my right palm was I brought back to the present, and I saw the raindrops irritating the wound as they dropped onto it. _Wait… These aren't raindrops, I'm underneath a shelter. Which means…_ I slowly brought my phone up to my face, the darkened screen reflecting my face onto it. _Ah… I'm crying…_ I continued to stare at my reflection for a few seconds, until the tears stopped, the face that stared back at me slowly morphing from anxiety and depression into determination and newfound confidence. _What the hell am I doing, standing here and moping like this. I already made up my mind that I'm not going to give up._ I pocketed my phone and wiped my tears with my left hand, feeling it balling up into a fist afterwards as I stared out into the streets in front of me. _I_ will _go through with this. Anxiety can go to hell._ After a few deep breaths, I took a step, then another one, and another, until I was no longer standing under the shelter of the train station, and instead outside in the rain. I stood there for a few more moments, closing my eyes as I let the rain fall onto me, before taking off in a sprint. _You better be ready, Yuzuru. I'm coming for you, and I'm not going to let anything stand in my way._

 _I will be the one to change Fate._

* * *

 _I'm not ready._

It had been about five minutes since my phone call with Yuri, and I had been nervously pacing about my apartment for the whole time. _Is she actually coming here? How could she get from her place to mine in ten minutes? Was she already on her way here?_ Innumerable questions had been circulating in my head for the entire time, but there was one that kept coming back to me, overshadowing every other one.

 _What am I going to say to her?_

All of the other questions I could think of at least _some_ kind of answer to, but not to this one. _Obviously,_ _we need to_ _talk about what happened today, but… How would I go about doing that?_ _Just ask her about her…_ kiss _? I guess_ _going straight to the point would be the best option…_ _But then I might reach a situation where I need to tell her of my feelings…_ _Should I just call her again?_ _No, that wouldn't do any good right now… Maybe another message? But what would I say in it? I really am just anxious about meeting and talking with her..._ As I mused over my thoughts, I found myself standing by the entrance to my apartment, my gaze nervously shifting between the phone in my hand and the door. _She's probably going to be here any second now, if she really could make it here within ten minutes…_

"Argh! What am I supposed to do in a situation like this… If only Hatsune was here… She would tease me endlessly about this, but at least she could be of some help..." I let out a sigh and unlocked my phone, navigating into my contact list. _Maybe if I send Hatsune a quick message, I could get some advice before Yuri arrives…_ If _she arrives… Well, I don't have much doubt about that, but…_ My thoughts were interrupted as a sound I did not hear often – but knew _exactly_ what it meant – resonated through the small vestibule of my apartment.

A doorbell.

I slowly turned to look towards the door, my heartbeat beginning to rise as I gazed at it. _Yuri. It has to be._ I swallowed and wiped away the bead of sweat that ran down my face, nervously taking a few steps towards the door, stopping just in front of it. _Okay, Yuzuru. Calm down. It's just Yuri._

…

 _That doesn't help me calm down at all._

I shook my head and pocketed my phone, taking a few deep breaths before I reached out for the door. _Here we go, no turning back now._ Everything seemed to slow down as I took a hold of the door handle, unlocked the door and pulled the handle down, pausing very briefly, then continuing with the motion to open the door.

I didn't realize that I had been holding my breath until I fully opened the door, the slightly unexpected sight causing me to release my breath. In front of me, leaning against the doorframe was a figure wearing a coat soaked with water, a small pool having accumulated below them, and a trail of water droplets leading away – or more accurately, _to –_ my apartment door. With their hood covering their face in their hunched position, I couldn't see their face, but I could tell that they were breathing heavily, as if _panting_. I stayed frozen in place for a few seconds, staring at the curious sight before me, until a stray strand of purple hair fell free from the confines of the person's hood.

"Yuri?" I asked, and the figure lifted their gaze, bringing me to full view the beautiful face of Nakamura Yuri, her sea-green eyes gazing deep into mine. Seeing her in this slightly dishevelled (but still somewhat refined, as if she had spruced herself up before coming here, and the journey causing her to look as she did now) state was honestly quite alluring, and I felt my cheeks heating up as I got lost in her eyes.

"Haah… Yuzuru…" Yuri's voice pulled me back to reality, and I averted my gaze from the girl for a moment in embarrassment, but looked back at her shortly. "Looks like… I made it in under ten minutes. But… could we head inside? I don't quite fancy standing out here any longer." It took me a few moments to process what she had said, and I quickly moved out of the way and gestures fro Yuri to enter.

"R-right, of course." I said as Yuri stepped inside, and I closed the door behind her. "Did you… run all the way here? How did you make it here so quickly?" I then asked as Yuri started removing her coat, and I noticed it was absolutely soaked.

"Not all the way, no. I took the train, but had to get off a couple of stations early due to some… _things_ that happened, so I ran the rest of the way here. Sorry to impose, but could I leave my coat to dry somewhere?" Yuri explained and lifted up her wet coat with her right hand, and I took note of her seemingly _normal_ behaviour. _I… expected more awkwardness, or nervousness, but… I guess I'm the only nervous one_ _here_ _._

"O-of course. I can hang it in the shower." I replied and took the coat from Yuri, and she winced slightly as she let go of it. "Sorry, are you okay?" Yuri pulled her hand back, and I saw that she wasn't wearing her bandage any more.

"I'm fine, just had to use this hand a bit more than I would have liked earlier in the train. I should have probably bandaged it again after the shower, to be honest..." I felt my cheeks heating up again as my mind was flooded with images of Yuri showering, and as the girl looked back at me with a confused expression, soon her cheeks were blushing as well.

"Ah, w-well… Y-you can go and w-wait in the living room. I-I'll bring you a towel so you can dry yourself off, a-and I'll make you something hot to drink." I said quickly and turned away from Yuri, making my way to the shower room.

" _A-arigatou_." I heard Yuri's voice as I entered the shower room, hanging Yuri's coat on the rack Hatsune and I had for occasions just like this. _We should probably get a clothes dryer at some point…_ I thought as I opened one of the cabinets above the washing machine and took out a fresh, white towel for Yuri to use.

As I was about to exit, I looked back at the shower, and my mind returned to the more _impure_ thoughts of Yuri showering again. _No! Bad thoughts!_ _I can't think of something like that while Yuri is just outside! I mean, I am a man and all, but… I have to have some decency…_

"Um… Yuzuru?" I turned around and saw Yuri peeking into the room, causing me to jump a little in surprise.

"W-what is it?" I asked as I turned around to face her.

"Well… I was wondering… If I could leave… my trousers drying as well? They got pretty wet out in the rain as well..." Yuri didn't meet my eyes as her face got redder by the second, and I could feel mine heating up again as well. "O-of course, I-I've got… something… underneath, so..."

"I-it's fine. W-we can't have you sitting around in wet clothes and g-getting sick, right?" I said as I took a step towards the door, extending the towel towards Yuri.

"R-right. So… could you… So I could..." Yuri fidgeted in place as she opened the door and took the towel from me, motioning to the shower room behind me.

"O-oh! Of course, I'll… I'll go brew some tea." Yuri nodded to me and we passed by each other as Yuri entered the shower room, closing the door behind her. _She's… not actually going to shower, right? No, she's just going to dry herself off. Probably. Hopefully._

I shook my head again and made my way to the kitchen. Beginning to brew some tea for the two of us. I knew Yuri liked to order _Maple Tea_ a lot at La Soleil, but she would have to make do with some green tea for now. _Though, if I had ran through that rain for nearly – or most likely over, given that she would have had to get to the first station by foot – ten minutes, I would take any flavour of tea to warm myself up._ After a minute of two, Yuri emerged from the shower room, having left her soaked trousers behind as she walked into the living room in a pair of long johns. _Thank whatever force oversees us that she had the foresight to wear those. I don't think I could have handled a Yuri in her underwear._ Another blush crept onto my face as my mind was filled with more mental images of Yuri, this time in underwear rather than naked in a shower. _The line between_ love _and_ lust _seems to be rally thin… But brain, please, could you stop that? This is only going to be more awkward…_ After I finished brewing the tea, I took out two cups – one of them the one I had previously used and left on the kitchen counter – and poured the tea into them, walking back over to Yuri and handing her one of the cups.

" _Arigatou_ , Yuzuru." Yuri said as she took the cup, blew into it and took a small sip, and I took a sip from my own as well as the two of us stood in front of the couch, an awkward silence falling onto us. _I… guess this is it…_

"Right, so..." I began, gently placing my teacup on the table to let it cool for a little while, having deemed it too hot from my initial taste. "About… what happened earlier today..." I tried to keep my gaze on Yuri, but couldn't manage to do it, instead simply glancing at her occasionally as I stared down at the teacup.

"Yuzuru." Before I could even begin, I was cut off by Yuri, and I slowly raised my gaze to meet hers, almost forcing it to stay there as she spoke. "Before you say anything… Let me ask you something. What… What did you mean when you said that you felt that… it didn't ' _feel right_ ' to accept Kanade's feelings, and _your_ feelings towards her?" I was stunned for a moment by her question, and then averted my gaze as I thought before responding. _It sounds like she knows Kanade confessed to me… She must have told Yuri that herself…_

"I… Well… It's just that. It just doesn't feel right to me to just… _follow along_ with the whims of fate like that, as if we had no other choice." I replied. _I'm not lying, just… not telling the whole truth._

"You said that to me before." Yuri said and averted her gaze from me, hesitating a little before continuing. "But _why_ do you feel that way? Is it simply because you feel like it's limiting your free will, or… is there another reason why you aren't comfortable with _going out_ with Kanade, even when you know of each other's feelings?" Yuri looked me directly in the eyes, the look in them _pleading_ , but also _serious_ , almost as if…

...she was trying to _confirm_ something.

"I..." _Could… Could she know? Mikado-sensei seemed to pick up on it, at least a little, so it might not be completely impossible for Yuri to suspect something… But then, why would she be interested in that anyway?_ _Could it be because she… also…_ I bit my lip as I glanced away from Yuri, my eyes locking onto her right hand, currently holding onto her teacup, and I could see the wound she had gotten on her palm last Friday. _I… don't really know, but…_

 _There is one way to find out._

I took a deep breath and looked back at Yuri, staring deep into her green eyes as she waited for my response. I felt my heartbeat rising, along with my nervousness as I swallowed and prepared myself for what was to come as best I could.

"I… It's because..." I hesitated slightly, but felt like something was _telling_ me to go through with this from deep within me. And I _listened_ to whatever that something was. "Because… Someone else has become quite… _important_ to me recently." I saw Yuri's eyes widen a little, and she looked like she was holding her breath. _Here… Here goes nothing…_ "It's because… I think… I think I might _like_ you, Yuri. In… _that_ way." I also now began to hold my breath as I looked at Yuri, fighting against the urge to move my gaze from her, my heartbeat still rising as my embarrassment grew with each moment. _I… I said it…_ Everything stood still for a few moments, until Yuri lowered her gaze and placed her teacup onto the table next to mine, her bangs covering her face as she hung her head low. _What is…_ I quickly noticed that Yuri had begun to tremble, but before I could make a move, she lifted her head back up, and I was faced with a face with tears cascading down its side, but at the same time, covered in a big smile.

"Yuzuru!" Suddenly, Yuri flung herself at me, wrapping her arms around my neck as she nuzzled into my chest, soaking my shirt slightly with her tears. Then, Yuri looked up at me with her eyes glossed over, tears still falling down her smiling face. Not tears of sorrow, but ones of _happiness_. "I… I love you too, Yuzuru! So, so much!" Yuri confessed, then rose to her tiptoes while pulling me into a kiss.

The moment our lips touched, I was assaulted by an immense feeling of _ecstasy_ , and pure happiness, making me feel as if I could melt. My heart was beating faster than ever before, and my whole body felt hot as Yuri's words resonated throughout my brain, each echo louder than before. And in that one moment, I knew that one thing was _absolutely certain_.

I didn't just " _think I might like Yuri_ " any more. No, I _knew_ that I _loved_ her, from the bottom of my heart. And she loved me too.

I closed my eyes as I wrapped my arms around Yuri's waist, embracing her tightly as we shared our second kiss together – both in the same day. I felt all of my fears, inhibitions, anxiousness and worries melting away as I shared the most passionate, loving kiss ever with the person I loved the most in the world – a realization that had just dawned on me. And even though my eyes were closed, I could still see _something_. A familiar scene unfolding before me, but different. It was my last memory from the Afterlife, where I had been together with Kanade, but instead of the silver-haired girl being with me… Yuri was there. We were stood there, embracing each other as the sun set in the distance, our lips locked together in a kiss. And extending from my pinky finger, I could see a thin, red thread. A thread, that danced around almost freely in the air, wrapping gently around the two of us, before ending on Yuri's pinky finger. _The Red Thread of Fate… If Fate was to be believed, that thread should have connected me and Kanade._

 _But, Fate is malleable, and can be changed._

I didn't know how long Yuri and I kissed for, but it felt like it had been an eternity once we finally separated, pulling away from each other, but still embracing as we stared into each other's eyes. Looking into Yuri's eyes, holding her close, and seeing her smile made me know that changing fate to be with Yuri… was the best choice.

"Well… that was… _unexpected_ , to say the least." I finally spoke after a long period of silence. "Can't say I didn't like it though."

"So you… You really… _love_ me, Yuzuru?" Yuri asked a little sheepishly, though she kept her gaze glued to mine.

"I do, no doubts about it. And I'm glad I fell in love with you." I saw Yuri's cheeks reddening, and I felt my own heating up as well.

"D-don't say something like that out of the blue!" Yuri said and gently hit her forehead against my chest. "But… I'm glad I fell in love with you too, Yuzuru." She then said with a smile, and I had to avert my gaze from her, eliciting a giggle from the girl. "Haah… I didn't even expect this to work out. I was so anxious, but… It seems everything turned out fine." Yuri continued and snuggled against me, and I responded by resting my head on top of hers, feeling her warmth, and taking in her scent. _I felt nothing like this towards Kanade, even back in the Afterlife…_ _I've never felt so happy before…_ "Heh, I guess now you've taken my first _and_ second kiss. Yuzuru you sneaky devil."

"I didn't really take them as much as you _gave_ them to me, though. But… Well, that's one thing different between us. You gave me your first and second kiss, while you _took_ my _second_ and _third_ ones." Yuri pulled back a little and looked at me with a confused expression, before her eyes widened.

"Kanade?" She asked, and I nodded – as much as our current position allowed.

"She surprised me with it yesterday. It's how she confessed to me." I replied, and saw Yuri scowl a little in return, and a devious thought entered my head. "Well, you weren't able to take my first kiss, but… There is still another _first_ you could take from me, Yuri..." Yuri raised an eyebrow in question, before her face flushed a deep crimson once she realized what I had insinuated.

"Dummy! Nincompoop! Pervert!" Yuri used her hands to shake me as she pounded her head into my chest while I just laughed. Once she stopped, Yuri pouted at me, her face still flushed, before she suddenly looked away from me shyly. "Although… If it's with you, Yuzuru… I wouldn't _mind_ it..." She then continued in a lower tone and fidgeted as much as she could in my embrace while stealing glances at me. "And since it's quite late, and it's raining outside… I would probably need to stay here… And I can't just sleep in Hatsune's bed without her permission..." I was now the one blushing, what Yuri was indicating being quite obvious. Once she saw my reaction, though, a smirk appeared on her face, and I knew I had been played like a fiddle. "Hah, got you! You're going to need to do better than that if you want to tease me now~!" Yuri giggled again, and I found myself smiling at the girl. _Oh, I can't stay mad at her…_

After Yuri finished with her giggling, we simply stared into each other's eyes silently, pressing our foreheads together. _Before, I would have been a blushing mess if anything like this was ever even_ thought _of, but… Now that we've admitted out feelings… This feels natural._ Right _._ _We aren't bound by our fates, after all. They can be changed._

 _A_ _nd I'm glad Yuri changed mine._

* * *

 **AN: Completed! Nine months I have spent on this story, but now it is finally coming to a close. I've had the finale scene in mind for quite a while now, and I really love how it turned out. Now, for any of you out there who are sad to see this story reach its conclusion, don't worry, for I have more content planned. Firstly, I will be writing an epilogue chapter for this story some time in the near future, possibly within a month or so. That chapter will fully bring this story to a close, which will allow me to move on to different projects. And secondly… one of those "different projects" is going to be a sequel story! _Changing Fate_ may have come to a close, but Yuri's and Yuzuru's story is just beginning! I haven't come up with a name yet, but I have some basic ideas for the sequel story, which would focus on Yuri's and Yuzuru's growing relationship, as well as the issue of how Yuri is going to regain the rest of her memories. I won't get started on that story for a while, but it will be something to look forward to!**

 **But, before that, I will talk to you all again in the epilogue! Until then, cheerio!**

 **[1] _Suica_ stands for " _Super Urban Intelligent CArd_ ". It's a rechargeable contactless smart card that is primarily used as a fare card for transportation services, but can also be used as electronic money to purchase things from vending machines and kiosks at train stations, as well as various chain stores. Basically, if you want to buy a train ticket for transport in Japan either within or between a city/cities, you get one of these and pass it over a card reader when you enter a train station. The Suica is not the only one of these SVCs (Store-value card) in Japan, and pretty much every Japanese railway company has their own version of it, but given that I have purposefully left the city/region this story takes place in ambiguous, I just decided to go with the Suica. **

**[2] _Gyaru_ is the Japanese transliteration of the English word "gal", and refers to a specific fashion subculture among Japanese teenaged girls. While gyaru themselves can be separated into various sub-fashions of their own, the basic style consists of wearing lots of make-up, sexy or provocative – and often expensive – clothing, dying one's hair a lighter colour, as well as tanning one's skin, all in order to appear more western. To me personally, gyaru girls look ridiculous, and I prefer my Asian girls looking Asian, rather than an imitation of a – mind my French – slutty western normie girls.**


	15. Epilogue

**AN: Hello, dear readers! This will be the last author's note I will be writing for this story, and I want to thank all of you for reading _Changing Fate_. While not nearly as popular as my other stories (or even other Angel Beats fanfics – I blame the ship I chose :P), even just looking at the number of views growing steadily brought a smile to my face, and I am personally very proud of what I've written.**

 **I originally began to write this story due to noticing a distinct lack of Yuzuru x Yuri stories within the fanfiction community for Angel Beats (which is still active to this day, even after so many years have passed from when this magnificent Anime was brought upon us!), and everything sort of went from there. And now, it's time to close off this story with the epilogue. Though, as I did say in the previous chapter's AN, I will return with a sequel to this story at some point in the future, possibly some time early next year, but that remains to be seen.**

 **Now, one final time, I bid you all farewell, and leave you off with this epilogue.**

* * *

 **Epilogue**

" _No, Yuzuru, not there…"_

" _Oh! That's… Yuzuru, you perv..."_

" _...Fine, just this once. Come here, Yuzuru..."_

" _..."_

" _..."_

I found myself slowly drifting away from a pleasant dream I was having as my consciousness returned to me. _Hmm… I don't want to wake up yet…_ I kept my eyes tightly shut and snuggled up against the source of warmth next to me, hoping that I could return to the dream I was having. _So warm… And nice… I could just stay here in my bed like this forever…_ I breathed deeply, a somewhat familiar, almost _reassuring_ scent entering my nostrils as I did, relaxing my entire body as I prepared for returning to sleep.

However… something felt _off_.

I couldn't quite place it, but there was something about the bed that felt _different_ from normal. _I can't remember changing the sheets, and yet they don't feel the same… and this warmth…_ Frustrated that I couldn't go back to sleep as I had hoped to, I reluctantly opened my eyes, revealing to me a dark room that seemed a little _too_ large to be mine, small streaks of light filtering their way inside through the blinds. As my sleepiness slowly lifted and my eyes got used to the dark, I became more aware of my surroundings. More specifically…

...I became aware of the _figure_ next to me on the bed.

I slowly rose up to a sitting position and gazed at the figure – _person –_ sleeping soundly next to me, the bed obviously a little too small for two people. _Wait a moment… so the warmth I was snuggling against…_ The person stirred in their sleep, revealing a head of red hair from underneath the sheets, telling me _exactly_ who I had slept in the same bed with last night.

"Y-Yuzuru..?" Hearing his name said out loud, Yuzuru stirred in his sleep again, and I felt something moving up my thigh, until it stopped to rest on my lap. It took my still-groggy brain a few moments to process everything, and I could almost _hear_ the gears in my head clicking into place as I suddenly remembered everything that had happened. _Ah, right…_

 _We confessed to each other._

As I gazed down at Yuzuru's sleeping form, my memories from yesterday began to resurface one by one. _So much happened…_ Once I got to a _specific_ memory, a warm feeling spread throughout me, making me feel all warm and fuzzy inside as I smiled to myself in the dark. _Yuzuru said that he loves me… He really said it to me… Ah, I'm so happy just remembering it…_ I closed my eyes again and replayed the memory in my head over and over again for innumerable times, until Yuzuru suddenly moved again, his hand sliding down my thigh again and causing me to jump a little in surprise.

"Eep!" I let out a sound I didn't think I was capable of producing and quickly covered my mouth, frozen in place as I stared down at Yuzuru. _It doesn't seem like he's waking up… Wait, hold on a moment…_ I carefully lifted up the duvet to see underneath it, and felt my cheeks heating up as I saw Yuzuru's hand resting on my left thigh – and the fact that I was not wearing any _pants_. _W-w-wait, d-did we..? C-could we hav_ _e..?_ _Am I-I.._ _?_ _I-Is this..?_ I felt my cheeks getting hotter and hotter as I frantically tried to recall everything that had happened after I admitted my feelings to Yuzuru. _W-we cuddled a bit, a-and then I-I got hungry, and we ate d-dinner, a-and then things w-were a little awkward, s-since we didn't really k-know what w-we should do next, s-so we ended up watching TV as we c-cuddled some more, and, and, and…_

All I remembered us doing was kissing and cuddling, and even after we went to bed for the night, I had no memories of us doing _that_. _I-I remember Yuzuru was surprised that I_ actually _wanted to sleep in the same bed, and it was pretty embarrassing, but I did it anyway… I don't_ think _anything happened, but…_ I closed my eyes, and both my mind and my vision became dominated by Yuzuru and I doing… _various activities_. Unconsciously, my right hand wandered underneath the duvet down towards my loins, and my brain took note that I was at least wearing panties, though I didn't fully register it as my thoughts were occupied with _something else_. _T-then again, even if something_ did _happen… Hehee…_

"Hmmm… Yuri..?" A sudden voice returned me to reality as my eyes shot open, and I saw Yuzuru slowly turning on the bed as he pulled his hand away from my thigh to rub his eyes, opening them shortly afterwards. "You're… awake..? What… time is it..?" Yuzuru asked sleepily and yawned. _H-he's a-awake..!_ I was frozen in place as I realized _what_ exactly the things I had been imagining just a moment ago were, and where my right hand currently was. Contrary to being frozen in place, though, my cheeks – no, my entire _face_ – was getting hotter by the second. "Yuri?" Yuzuru tilted his head as he squinted his eyes in the dark, his gaze following down the length of my arm towards where my right hand was placed.

"D-DON'T L-LOOK!" I shouted out and jumped out of the bed, closing my eyes as I covered my groin with my hands. _T-to think I was about to… Right n-next to Yuzuru… After we had s-slept together..!_ I stayed completely still as I heard shuffling coming from the bed, then suddenly felt a pair of hands on my shoulders. Quickly opening my eyes again, I jerked my head upwards and met Yuzuru's face – currently overcome with a concerned expression – not too far away from mine.

"Yuri? Is something wrong?" Yuzuru asked from me, his concern also evident in his voice. _Ah, it doesn't seem like he's realized… That's… good._

"A-ah, nothing, Yuzuru." I replied and averted my gaze, our close proximity bringing a slight heat to my cheeks. _I know we confessed and all, but… It's still kind of embarrassing being so close with him…_

"Hmmm… If you say so, Yuri." Yuzuru said after a few moments of studying my face. "You can… always talk to me about your troubles, since we are… Well… you know..." I looked back at Yuzuru, and now it was his turn to avert his gaze and blush. _Yuzuru… Seems I'm not the only one still embarrassed at being so intimate._ I smiled to myself as I watched Yuzuru for a few seconds, then took the initiative by bringing my hands up to cup his face, then pulled him into a kiss, the act catching Yuzuru off-guard, though he was soon kissing me back. Neither of us had much experience, but we wouldn't have it any other way, for we would _gain_ that experience _together_.

"Yuzuru." I said after we parted from our kiss, our faces still close together as I gazed into Yuzuru's burgundy eyes. "I love you." A smile appeared on Yuzuru's face, and he pressed his forehead against mine.

"I love you too, Yuri." I felt him wrapping his around my waist as he pulled me into a hug, and I offered no resistance – and I _couldn't_ have even if I wanted to, as simply hearing him affirm his love for me caused my limbs to turn into jelly as a feeling of immense happiness spread throughout me. _I want to just stay here in Yuzuru's arms forever…_ Silently, we enjoyed each other's embrace for a good minute or two, and I almost began to feel my sleepiness returning, until I suddenly felt something _poking_ my left thigh and Yuzuru tensing up right afterwards.

"Yuzuru..?" I pulled back slightly and shifted my gaze downwards, my face heating up once again as an _obvious_ bulge in Yuzuru's pyjama pants came into view, making it quite clear as to _what_ exactly I felt poking my thigh. _Y-Y-Yuzuru's..!_

"S-sorry, Yuri. I-I was hoping… you w-wouldn't notice." Yuzuru said as he took a step back, covering his loins in embarrassment. "I-it's a natural t-thing that happens in the mornings, a-and cuddling with my _g-girlfriend_ didn't really h-help either..." even as Yuzuru covered as much as he could with his hands, I kept my gaze _downstairs_ for multiple seconds, until I was brought out of my _impure_ thoughts by the sound of Yuzuru clearing his throat.

"A-ah!" I quickly looked away from Yuzuru. _W-what was I-I thinking?_ "T-that's fine, I-I'm not… _o-offended_ or a-anything..." _Quite the opposite, I'm_ glad _I could_ _elicit_ _such a reaction_ _from_ _him… Gah! W-what am I thinking again?! G-get yourself together, Yuri!_ "But… um… er..." I stole a glance at Yuzuru, who had now sat down on the bed and covered himself up with the duvet. "I… I did… want to ask if… If we… Last night..." Yuzuru looked back at me with a puzzled expression on his face, which quickly turned into surprise as another blush appeared on his face.

"O-oh, well… W-we didn't, no. We just s-shared the bed, that's all, a-and even then I made s-sure not to _t-touch_ you in any… _inappropriate_ way..." I was briefly reminded of how I had awoken – snuggling against Yuzuru with as much of my body as possible – and felt my cheeks heating again. _I-I wonder what happened while we were asleep, though…_ "And t-that just now… I'm sorry, Yuri. I-I can't help my body from reacting..."

"N-no, it's fine, Yuzuru." I replied and properly turned to face Yuzuru. "I… I understand. You haven't done anything wrong, I was just… surprised, and I wasn't sure i-if we had… you know. But… I mean… I-if you _wanted to_ , Yuzuru… I-I guess we could..." I saw Yuzuru's eyes widening slightly at my words. "B-but not r-right now! I… I… I-I'm not ready yet, I think..." I averted my gaze again and bit my lip. _At least not emotionally. I think my_ body _is more than ready and willing, though…_ I found my gaze flicking to where I presumed Yuzuru's crotch was underneath the duvet, but forced it away. _No! Bad thoughts!_

"O-of course, Yuri. T-that's not something we should… rush into." Yuzuru glanced at the door to his room briefly, before looking back at me. "Should we… go and make breakfast, or something?"

"Ah, um… I-I guess we should." I replied and looked back at Yuzuru, who didn't make any moves towards the door, despite what he had just suggested. "Um..."

"You can… go on ahead, Yuri. I'll be with you soon." Yuzuru said and gestured downwards, my gaze landing back where it had been a few moments ago. _Ah, r-right, of course…_

"R-right, I'll… I'll go see what I can make." Yuzuru nodded to me in reply, and I made my way out of his room, releasing the breath I didn't realize I was holding as I closed the door behind me, stopping momentarily to lean against it. "Haah… So it wasn't a… ' _morning after_ ' scene after all…" _I'm partly relieved, partly_ disappointed… _Gah! You can't think like that, Yuri! You only just got together with Yuzuru yesterday! Things like that will come eventually. That's right, we're not hormonal teenaged virgins looking for a one-night fling – this is a serious,_ adult _relationship._

…

 _Though, when I put it like that, the term "adult" gets a whole other meaning._

I shook my head to clear my thoughts before they were clouded with something _impure_ once again, then began to make my way over to Yuzuru's kitchen. On the way, I spotted a clock on the wall, telling me it was a little past 9 in the morning. _I think we went to bed around 11… or perhaps midnight? I can't remember exactly. Anyway,_ _it's a good thing I don't have a shift today and that Yuzuru doesn't need to attend any classes for now._ I let out a yawn and stretched as I entered the kitchen, turning on the lights as I walked over to the window and peered through the blinds. The rain had not let up at any point yesterday, and I vaguely remember still hearing it when we went to bed, but it seemed like it had stopped at some point during the night – or early morning – as the sun was shining outside, a few clouds visible here and there. _The trip back home should be a dry one… Although, I don't really_ want _to go back home today…_ I smiled to myself and opened the blinds, then walked over to the fridge. _Right, let's see about breakfast…_ Opening it, I could immediately see that Yuzuru and his little sister were clearly more well-funded than I was when it came to food, not just from the larger amount of food and other perishables within it, but also from their _quality_. While I could spot a few packs of instant noodles and cup ramen in the fridge ( _I mean, who_ doesn't _like a quick and convenient snack like that?_ ), it was mostly filled with ingredients for " _proper_ "food, ranging from vegetables to fish and other seafood and anything in-between. _Their parents must be to thank for all of this… Miso paste, tofu,_ _curry sauce, tonkatsu cutlets… You could make all manner of dishes with this stuff. I guess Hatsune must be a pretty avid cook, as I doubt Yuzuru could make anything edible even with all this at his fingertips._ I smirked to myself at the thought of Yuzuru fumbling about in the kitchen while his sister scolded him over not knowing the difference between a ladle and a spoon. _Well, it's not like I'm a super great cook myself, so I shouldn't make fun of others. But, for starters, something light should do just fine._ I took out a carton of juice and some sandwich toppings, noticing the toaster on the other end of the kitchen counter, then searched the cabinets for some toast or other bread, taking out some plates and glasses at the same time. By the time Yuzuru had emerged from the bedroom – now wearing what looked like a t-shirt underneath a white hoodie and a pair of sweatpants, a surprisingly _casual_ look that I hadn't seen on Yuzuru before – I had finished setting up a basic breakfast table with some toast, a bit of salad and cut vegetables and soon-to-be fried eggs.

"Ah, Yuzuru. You… don't mind me using some stuff from the fridge?" I asked as I was setting up the frying pan, gesturing towards the egg carton I had taken out and placed on the counter.

"Oh, of course not. It's what the ingredients are there for." Yuzuru replied as he walked up to me, glancing over at the table where I had set the plates and other foods for us. "Fried eggs and toast?" I looked at Yuzuru, being met with a face of slight puzzlement.

"Yes. I… didn't want to use up any of the other ingredients without your – or _Hatsune's_ – consent, since… well, you know. Her kitchen and her ingredients, and all that." I replied and turned around to face Yuzuru, having successfully turned on the stove. To my slight surprise, though, the puzzlement on his face seemed to have only gotten stronger.

"What… do you mean by that?" Now it was my turn to be puzzled. _What do I mean? I mean exactly what I mean. What do_ you _mean?_

"Hatsune… she's the one who does the cooking, right? So… This all is her territory, so to speak… _Right_?" As I stared at Yuzuru's face, an odd feeling began to well up in me. _There's… There's no way Yuzuru is a better cook than I am… right? No, Hatsune is definitely the one who does all the cooking. She's always saying how useless Yuzuru is, and how he couldn't get anything done without her._ _Yeah, that's right. Yuzuru_ definitely _can't cook any better than I can._

"Well, you're not wrong, as Hatsune does _usually_ do the cooking, but…" Yuzuru looked towards the fridge and pointed a finger at it. "You saw everything inside, right?" I nodded in reply to his question. "Why would I buy all that when Hatsune is in the hospital?" The odd feeling inside of me turned into dread upon hearing Yuzuru's logical words.

"So you're saying… You can actually cook, Yuzuru?" Yuzuru let out a sigh as he brought up a hand to his face, massaging his temple slightly.

"You know, Hatsune overexaggerates a lot of the things she says, especially when it comes to living here with me. I sometimes fear what kind of rumours she has inadvertently caused to appear at her high school regarding our relationship…" Yuzuru muttered the last part, but his words only caused the feeling of dread within me to grow. _Don't tell me..._ "Anyway, I'm not as _hopeless_ around the house as Hatsune may have described me as. In fact, apart from doing most of the cooking… she's quite lazy, leaving most of everything else to _me_. And a lot of the times, she doesn't even bother to cook, leaving that to me as well. So, to answer your question, Yuri, yes, I _can_ in fact cook. Quite well, if I may add, though Hatsune is still better than I am." Yuzuru finished with a satisfied smile on his face, staying quiet for a few moments as he looked at me, before the smile twisted into a slight smirk. "Oh? Could it be that The Great Nakamura Yuri _doesn't_ know how to cook, and that's why she opted for such a simple breakfast?" I felt my cheeks heating up, both from embarrassment and anger. Anger, directed at both Yuzuru for being so _cheeky_ , and at myself for pretty much painting myself into a corner.

"N-No! T-that's not i-it!" I quickly protested, averting my gaze from Yuzuru and looking towards the eggs waiting on the kitchen counter. _I-I_ can _cook, just… nothing_ too _complicated…_

"Hm? Your reaction says otherwise, Yuri." I felt my embarrassment growing, and I quickly jerked my head back towards Yuzuru, who was now sporting a full-on grin on his face.

"I-I… I _can_ cook! But… just… I usually… d-don't get the chance to. B-but I'm totally better than you!" I poked Yuzuru in the chest with a slight pout on my face. _I_ refuse _to believe that Yuzuru would be a better cook than I am._

"Why don't we put that to the test, then? Let me whip up a breakfast for the two of us, and then you can judge my cooking, alright?" I looked away from Yuzuru again, biting my lip. _I… kind of want to taste his cooking, but…_ _I've got my pride._ "You could go change into something… a little different while I'm doing that as well." Yuzuru scratched his cheek awkwardly, and I looked down at myself, realizing that I was still wearing nothing but a t-shirt and a pair of underwear. _Ah…_

"W-well… A-alright. I doubt you'll be able to make anything better than I could have made, but I'll humour you." I said and walked past Yuzuru, grabbing a piece of carrot from the salad I had prepared as I passed by the dining table. "My expectations will be low, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't put any effort into this, got it?" I turned to face Yuzuru again and pointed towards him with the carrot, though his gaze seemed to be directed _downwards_ – at my _thighs_. _What is he..? Wait… was that why… his_ hand _..._

"A-ah, r-right, of course." Yuzuru replied once he realized he had been caught staring at my legs, his embarrassment clear in his voice. _Hoo, I feel like I just found out something intriguing about Yuzuru~!_ I smirked slightly as Yuzuru turned away, then threw the carrot I was holding into my mouth as I left for Yuzuru's bedroom to get a change of clothes.

The t-shirt I was wearing was one of Yuzuru's that he gave to me so I wouldn't have to sleep in my blouse, which I had left in Yuzuru's bedroom alongside the long johns I had worn. _I could just leave them out and waltz back in there in just my underwear… It did seem like my bare legs were quite the welcome sight for Yuzuru, after all. Though, it might just distract him from the cooking._ I had made my statement about believing Yuzuru's cooking to be inferior to mine with quite some bravado, but I now realized that I may have let my pride get in the way a little too much. _I'm not the greatest cook on the planet, but I know I can make some_ _relatively good_ _food if I put time and effort into it. I just normally don't have the time, money or reasoning to do so, usually opting for microwave meals and instant foods as my main source of sustenance, occasionally making something like curry or_ _udon soup when I feel like it. Still, I don't cook often, so while I am somewhat confident in my ability to make something tasty… my skills are rusty. It's quite possible that Yuzuru could make something better than I can._ I sighed to myself, knowing that I only had myself and my pride to blame for this situation.

After changing into my own clothing, I took a quick detour to the shower room to pick up my trousers – having now dried up from yesterday – and leave the t-shirt I borrowed on top of the washing machine. As I returned to the kitchen, Yuzuru was already in the middle of his cooking. Not wanting to disturb him, I sat down at the dining table and began to lazily snack away at the vegetables and salad I had prepared while I watched Yuzuru prepare our proper breakfast. Currently, he was rolling around a rectangular pan (seemingly having replaced my earlier regular frying pan with it) while moving around something within it with a pair of chopsticks. _Tamagoyaki? I guess that's a bit better than just fried eggs…_ Off to the side, I could see that he had turned on the rice cooker and gathered various other ingredients on the counter, namely miso paste, shiitake mushrooms, green onions and deep-fried tofu – all ingredients for miso soup. _At least it doesn't seem like he's going to make any nattō. That stuff is simply revolting,_ _I've never liked it_ _. Come to think of it… I didn't like it in my previous life either,_ _so maybe that's where my dislike for the food comes – well before I regained my memories, or was even aware that such memories existed._ I let my thoughts wander as I watched Yuzuru roll up the tamagoyaki and gently place them on a plate, then turn off the stove as he shifted his focus to the miso soup. _I guess our past lives – and our time in the Afterlife –_ _affect us even without us even knowing about it. Our_ fates _affect us without us knowing. But, we aren't bound by them, Yuzuru and I are proof of that._ I smiled to myself as I watched Yuzuru cook. _I could get used to watching this… every day…_ I felt a slight heat rising to my cheeks, but my smile only got wider. _Spending the rest of my life with Yuzuru… Not a bad thought._

Before long, Yuzuru had finished preparing the miso soup, and – as if only now remembering it – took out some packaged salmon from the fridge, turning the stove on again to fry it on a pan – _yakizakana_. _He's really going for the traditional breakfast, it seems… Not that I'm complaining, it should be better than my normal breakfasts._ I felt a slight scowl forming on my face. _And probably better than anything I could make. I'm never going to hear the end of his teasing…_ In around ten minutes, Yuzuru was finished with his cooking, and brought out everything to the dining table. With the tamagoyaki, rice, miso soup and yakizakana, there seemed to be quite a bit to eat for just breakfast, but with two hungry mouths, I figured we would be able to make it through it all with ease.

"Sorry this took a little long, I forgot I had bought the salmon yesterday." Yuzuru said once he finished setting everything in place, taking his seat next to mine.

"It's fine. At least now I'll be hungry enough to wolf all of this down even if it does taste as bad as I am expecting it to do." I replied with a smirk and put my hands together for a prayer. " _Itadakimasu_."

"Taste it before you judge it, Yuri. _Itadakimasu_." Yuzuru mimicked my gesture, and the two of us picked up our chopsticks. _Well, I guess here goes…_

Shovelling some rice onto my plate along with a couple of tamagoyaki rolls, I took a deep inhale of the scents of the different foods all mixing together. _At the very least, they smell good… I'm starting to feel like I might have to eat my words…_ I stirred the miso soup with my chopsticks slightly, then picked out a shiitake mushroom out of the broth along with some rice from my plate and lifted it up to my face, stopping for a moment before I put it into my mouth. _As I noted, it smells really good, but the taste…_ I glanced at Yuzuru on my left, currently chewing on a piece of tamagoyaki. _Well, there's only way to find that out._ I opened my mouth, still somewhat hesitantly, and guided my chopsticks inside. And as soon as I closed my lips, I could taste it _very_ clearly.

My utter _defeat_.

The lightly salted rice, combined with the shiitake and the miso soup's broth tasted simply divine – easily better than anything I could make. _W-well… I will admit that was good, but… T-that was only the first taste._ As I swallowed down my first bite into Yuruzu's cooking, I reached down for one of my tamagoyaki rolls and lifted it up, sending another brief glance at Yuzuru before I bit into it. And yet again… crushing defeat. _This… this isn't possible…_

"So, how are you liking it, Yuri?" Upon hearing his voice, I turned to face Yuzuru, seeing a slight grin on his face. "Your face says that it's better than what you expected." I quickly looked away from Yuzuru and swallowed down the tamagoyaki – along with the tattered remnants of my pride.

"S-shut up. It's… good. And… It's… it's… b-better than what I c-could have made." I heard Yuzuru hum triumphantly and could see his grin growing wider in the corner of my eye.

"So The Great Nakamura Yuri admits defeat? That her _boyfriend_ is a better cook than she is?" For a moment, I felt immense happiness upon hearing him address himself as my _boyfriend_ , but the tone of his voice ticked me off big time.

"I-I said shut up!" I jerked my head back towards Yuzuru and pointed my chopsticks at him, causing him to recoil back slightly lest I poke him with them. "I-I'm not a _bad_ cook, alright? Y-you might be… b-better than I am right now, but… I'll get better!" I declared out loud. _I just need some practice. I'm sure I have the skills to be a better cook than he is. And if I don't… I'll just have to acquire those skills._

"I'm looking forward to it, Yuri." Yuzuru replied – to my surprise – with sincerity. "I can't wait to taste your cooking." He then continued with a smile, and I felt another blush rising to my cheeks.

"...You're unfair for saying things like that." I muttered as I turned away from Yuzuru, hearing him chuckle lightly. "But..." I turned back to face him with the biggest smile I could muster on my face. "...That's one of the reasons why I love you." I saw Yuzuru's eyes widening as a blush of his own spread across his face, and it was him who averted his gaze first. _Hah! Got you~!_

"...And _you're_ unfair for saying that out of the blue together with that smile of yours that I'm weak against." Now it was my turn to laugh, and I could see Yuzuru smiling as well.

"Judging by where you were looking earlier, my smile isn't the only thing of mine you're weak against." I said with a sly smile as I nudged Yuzuru with my leg, causing his blush to deepen.

"A-ah, t-that was… I was just… I-I didn't..." I giggled as I watched the blushing and stammering Yuzuru trying to find a reason to justify his interest in my thighs. _Aaaahh… I'm glad teasing him is still just as easy…_

"It's okay, Yuzuru." I cut Yuzuru off and reached out with my hand, taking a hold of his and guiding it to rest on my left thigh, causing him to jump slightly. "I'll let you _indulge_ yourself freely, as long as you direct that gaze of yours only at _me_." Yuzuru stared back at me blankly for a few moments, before he smiled to me and turned over his hand to grasp mine.

"Of course, Yuri. You _are_ my girlfriend – the only person I have eyes for." Yuzuru lifted my hand up and intertwined our fingers as we stared deep into each other's eyes. _Ah, I'm so glad I got to meet and fall in love with you, Yuzuru._

Afterwards, we enjoyed the breakfast Yuzuru had prepared in relative peace, what little conversation we had mostly consisting of our usual back-and-forth. As we were currently, we had little need for words, simply being content with being together like this. As a _couple_.

After finishing breakfast, we found ourselves on the couch, and with nothing better to do, we simply cuddled there, enjoying each other's warmth. I was leaning against Yuzuru's shoulder as his arms were wrapped around me, and I could almost feel myself drifting off to sleep again until the sound of a phone vibrating somewhere close by brought me back to this moment, and I reluctantly opened my eyes Yuzuru shifted next to me, reaching for his phone on the table.

"Mmm… What is it, Yuzuru?" I asked as Yuzuru inspected his phone, and he turned the phone towards me.

"It's Tachibana-san. She's asking if I could come and meet her at La Soleil today once her lessons are finished." I squinted my eyes as I looked at Yuzuru's phone. _Kanade? Ah, right… She did tell me that she was going to 'make her move' today._

"So, what are you going to do?" I asked and turned to face Yuzuru. _Even he should be able to tell_ why _Kanade wants to meet him._

"Well, I'll go meet her. If she has something to say to me in person, it must be pretty important." Yuzuru replied, briefly looking back at the message displayed on his phone. "I feel like I should be asking the same question from you, oh _girlfriend_ of mine." Yuzuru's words caught me a little off-guard, and despite knowing what I would answer almost immediately, I hesitated. _I know we just confessed to each other yesterday, and we're 'officially' together now, but… Yuzuru did love Kanade in the Afterlife, and those feelings were transferred to him in this life. And I don't think they're just going to disappear so quickly._

"I'll come with you, of course. Can't have my _boyfriend_ going off on a date with another girl, now can I?" I said in a playful manner, and Yuzuru averted his gaze from mine as he looked at his phone, biting his lip slightly.

"Are you… _jealous_ , Yuri? Or… _worried_ , at all? I mean..." I placed a finger on Yuzuru's mouth to silence him.

"I have faith in you, Yuzuru. And as for being worried… I'm _always_ going to worrying about you. What kind of girlfriend would I be without both of those things?" Yuzuru's eyes widened a little, and his mouth twisted into a small smile. Taking my finger off his mouth, I leaned in and kissed him before he could say anything else. _That's right._

 _I have the utmost faith in Yuzuru, in the_ Fate _that we created for ourselves._

* * *

"So… here we are."

Yuri and I stood just outside the doors to La Soleil, the cafe we had become regulars at. I pulled out my phone and checked the time on it. _Thirteen past two… Kanade should have finished her lessons for today at two, so it's likely she's already here._ I pocketed my phone and turned my gaze to Yuri, currently clinging onto my left arm. At her request, I had not told Kanade that she would be here with us when we had arranged the time for our meeting today. Yuri turned to face me and left a soft smile grace her pretty features, nodding to me slightly as a signal to say she was ready. With a nod back at her – at my _girlfriend –_ I opened the doors to La Soleil and the two of us entered together.

"Ah, welcome… Well, if it isn't Otonashi-san and Nakamura-san!" The energetic voice of Kashou called out to us as we entered, as he was currently in the midst of cleaning one of the tables close to the entrance. "Or, should call you both ' _Otonashi_ ' now, hmmm?" He then continued as his gaze landed on our interlocked arms, and in the corner of my eye, I could see Yuri blushing slightly. "I'm joking, I'm joking. So, how are you doing, Otonashi-san? I heard you had to go to hospital last week."

"Ah, I'm doing fine. And, yes, you would have heard correctly. I fell and hit my head on Friday, resulting in concussion, but I was discharged yesterday." I replied to the older man and scanned the cafe. "Have you seen Tachibana-san around?"

"Tachibana-san? Oh, but of course. She's over there in the corner, currently helping me test out something I've been thinking of doing for a while." Kashou replied and pointed at the far corner of the cafe, where I could just make out a head of silver hair sitting down on a chair. _There she is._

"What's she helping you with?" Yuri asked from Kashou, who put away the cloth he had been wiping the table with.

"You'll see." Kashou said and began to make his way to another table, briefly stopping to address us again. "Oh, and congratulations. I was wondering how long it would take before you two hit it off." He said with a wink, and I could feel my cheeks heating up a little.

"T-thanks, I guess." Kashou smiled back at us, then began to wipe the second table. I briefly glanced at Yuri, whose gaze was fixated on Kanade's distant form, and we began to make our way to her.

Every step I took felt heavier than the last, and I found myself swallowing as we got close enough to recognize that it was indeed Kanade sitting at the corner table all alone, a cup of tea – seemingly untouched – on the table in front of her. _Calm down, Yuzuru. It's just Kanade. You did fall in love with her in the Afterlife, but… This is a new life._ I glanced at Yuri again as we walked closer and smiled to myself. _And in this life, you've found someone else to love, someone to help break the chains of Fate._ Once we stopped just behind Kanade, the silver-haired girl seemed to register our presence and turned around to face us. Very briefly, I felt something – a _feeling –_ welling up in my chest as the girl's face came into view, but it was soon drowned out by another, _stronger_ feeling emanating from my left – from Yuri.

"Ah, you're here, Yuzuru. And Yuri, too. How surprising." Kanade's monotone voice was accompanied by a small smile, but her words went straight past Yuri and I, as both of our attention was fixated completely on Kanade's lap. Or rather, what she had _in_ her lap.

"Meow!" A large cat with cream-coloured fur and mismatched eyes – one blue, one amber – reared its head up as it noticed our presence, its large, bushy tail gently wafting from side to side. _A… cat?_ _Is this… what Kashou-san meant..?_

"Oh, I guess neither of you have been introduced to her. This is Coconut, one of Kashou-san's cats." Kanade's words broke me out of my stunned state as she scratched behind the cat's ear, eliciting another 'meow' out of the large feline.

"Kashou-san's… cat? And, _one_ of them?" I asked, and Kanade nodded to me. _That thing is really big… I wonder what breed it is?_ _Perhaps a Maine coon, or a Ragdoll?_

"That's right. He owns _six_ cats, and is planning on having some of them around here at the cafe for customers to play with – turning it into a ' _cat cafe_ ' or sorts." Kanade explained as she continued to scratch and pet the cat in her lap.

" _Six_?!" I exclaimed in surprise, then looked towards Yuri. "Were you… aware of this?"

"Huh? O-oh, no, I wasn't" Yuri replied and glanced at the cat again. "I mean, I knew Kashou-san was a cat person, and that he owns cats, but… _Six_? That's… something, alright." Yuri continued and reached out a hand towards the cat, letting it sniff her fingers before she began to pet it. _The cat seems to really like the attention… I would have almost expected it to be a little more aggressive, based on its size._

"I was surprised to hear that as well. Apparently, he used to only own four, but two more were given to him to care for a few months back." Kanade said as she stroked the cat together with Yuri, before lifting it off her lap (which was quite a comical sight to see, given the cat's size and Kanade's small frame) and onto the seat next to hers. "But, more importantly, I am curious as to why you are here, Yuri. Did you two happen to meet on the way here?" Kanade's question caused me to tense up, and I turned my gaze to Yuri, meeting her eyes. _Unlike Yuri, Kanade wouldn't just call her friends up to meet for hanging out. She has a reason for everything she does. And we both have a general idea of what her reason for calling to meet me here today is._

"Not… exactly, no." I replied to Kanade and rubbed the back of my neck, then briefly glanced at Yuri again before taking a hold of her hand, a gesture which was not left unseen by Kanade. "We came here together. You see…" I knew what I had to say, but I couldn't find the words for it. _Even though I know I love Yuri from the bottom of my heart, some of my feelings for Kanade still linger, and I don't want to hurt her..._

"As of yesterday, Yuzuru and I are dating." Yuri put my thoughts into words – albeit a bit more bluntly than I would have preferred to, and I saw Kanade's eyes widening in surprise, or perhaps shock, though as usual, her face betrayed no emotion. "I know why you asked Yuzuru to come here, but… It's a futile effort, Kanade." Yuri tightened her grip on my hand as she looked at her friend, a determined look on her face.

"But..." After a few seconds had passed with the two girls staring at each other, Kanade shifted her gaze to me. "...What about our time in the Afterlife? What about your feelings, Yuzuru?" I grimaced slightly at Kanade's words, averting my gaze from her.

"I'm sorry, Kanade. Those feelings… they're still there, but..." I turned my gaze to Yuri and smiled. "...They're eclipsed by my feelings for Yuri. Even when _fate_ tried to pull me and you together, I still fell in love with her, and I couldn't honestly be happier." Yuri blushed slightly as she smiled back at me, and I turned to Kanade again. "I know what you feel towards me, but… I can't return those feelings, Kanade. Still, you are very dear to me, and what we shared in the Afterlife was special. I could never forget those moments we shared together, and I never will, just… Any future memories and moments like that I will make together with Yuri." I almost said ' _I'm sorry_ ' a second time, but held it in before I did so. _It would only serve to make her feel worse._

"..." Kanade stayed silent as she watched Yuri and I for a few moments, then dropped her gaze to the floor, where it met the cat she had been holding not too long ago – _Coconut –_ who had just jumped down from the seat next to her. I felt a little bad seeing Kanade in such a state, and was about to say something more when the silver-haired girl lifted her gaze again, and I was stopped before I could even open my mouth as I saw a smile on Kanade's face. "I guess I lost then, Yuri. If… If this is what the two of you have decided, and if it is what makes you truly happy, then who am I to oppose you?" Kanade said as she first looked at Yuri, then at me. Hearing her words, I felt a wave of relief go through me. _I'm glad this doesn't have to be any more difficult._ "You don't need apologize, Yuzuru. In this situation, it would be more appropriate if I was the one saying sorry. I blindly believed that the two of us were fated to be together, and that nothing could get in our way." Kanade continued as Coconut rubbed its head against her leg, and she reached down with a hand to pet the cat. "But I have now been proven wrong. You stubbornly fought against fate in the Afterlife, Yuri, and even though you eventually followed along with it, you didn't do so a second time." Yuri looked a little puzzled at Kanade's words, but to me they made sense. _That was the whole reason she founded the SSS: to fight against God, to fight against_ fate _. After she saw that Kanade was not the enemy, though, she gave in and was reincarnated like the rest of us. But, she did so out of her own free will._ I smiled again while Kanade looked between the two of us with slight intrigue. "By the way… I know _I_ kissed Yuzuru when I confessed to him on Sunday, but have you two kissed yet?" Hearing Kanade's innocent and blunt question, I felt my cheeks heating up immediately, and could see Yuri blushing as well. _There's the blunt Kanade I know…_

"W-w-what kind of q-question is that?!" Yuri shouted out, then quickly covered her mouth as she realized that she had drawn the stares of the other customers. "I-I mean… w-we _have_..." Yuri then continued quietly as Kanade glanced between us two.

"Hmmm… I see." Kanade said and then turned to me. "Oh, and Yuzuru, while Yuri might act all shy and timid around you now, having observed her for a long time, and comparing her personality traits to characters in various pieces of literature I've read, I've come to the conclusion that in more _romantic_ and _intimate_ matters, Yuri would be a… what was the term again..? Ah, right. Yuri would be a _carnivore_. That means that she-" Before Kanade could finish her sentence, Yuri had already lunged at her and covered the smaller girl's mouth, her face overcome with a deep crimson blush. _A… carnivore? The opposite of a herbivore in romantic and intimate matters… so that means…_ I felt my own blush deepening slightly as the implications of Kanade's words hit me. _What have you been reading,_ _I wonder..._

"D-don't say something like that in public!" Yuri said to her friend, glaring at her for a few seconds before taking her hands off her mouth. _Now that I think about it, I can kind of understand where Kanade is coming from with that. I know of Yuri's fierce side through her relentless teasing – as well as from what she was like in the Afterlife – and I can totally see her showing that side by taking the lead during-_ "Y-you better not be thinking of anything dirty, Yuzuru!" My thoughts were – luckily – interrupted by Yuri as she took a step back towards me and pointed a finger at my face, the blush still not having left her face.

"N-no, of course not!" I defended myself while Yuri simply narrowed her eyes. _She can totally see through me…_ Yuri opened her mouth, likely about to tease me, when she stopped by a sudden sound coming from behind her, a sound largely unfamiliar to us – Kanade's _giggling_.

"Oh, I apologize, Yuzuru, Yuri." Kanade said as both of us turned to look at her, the surprise likely clearly evident on our faces. "I did not mean anything by that, I simply found you two amusing." Kanade continued with a slight smile on her face, and I felt a smile of my own growing on my face as well. " _Ahem_. So, this meeting has changed course from how I had planned for it to go – quite drastically, may I add – but that cannot be helped, and I will simply have to live with this turn of events. I am happy for the both of you, though." Kanade said and then gestured towards the seats on the other side of the table. "While we're here, why don't we have something to drink?"

"Oh, why not. We came all this way, after all." I replied, while Yuri simply nodded.

And so the three of us – plus Coconut, who seemed to take a special liking to my lap – spent our afternoon together, sipping our drinks leisurely and enjoying some light chatter at the same time. Every time my eyes met Kanade's, the feelings I still had for her made themselves known, but each time, they felt just the tiniest bit dimmer than the last. The bond the two of us shared was special, unique, even, and it truly was fate that had brought us together. However, our fates are not set in stone. We all have control over our fates, and they may be influenced, even _changed_ by our actions, and the actions to those close to us. Instead of standing together with Kanade, like I may have done had our fates remained unchanged, I am now standing together with Yuri. And I know that like our fates, the bond I share with Kanade will change over time, from that of fated lovers to something more mundane. But, no matter what it changes into, the bond will stay for the rest of our lives.

And as one fate changes, so it changes other fates as well. Yuri and I may not have been fated to be together, but we ended up like so. Mine and Kanade's fate inadvertently pulled Yuri and I together, and we became closer than I could ever have anticipated. And as I gazed into her sea-green eyes, as I heard her laughter echoing in my ears, as the radiant smile on her face caused one of my own to appear, and as her lips came into contact with mine, I knew that I had made the right choice. And I was glad that Yuri had taken the step into the unknown, taken the step forward to change our fates so we may be together. _Changing one's fate is possible, and many of us do it without even knowing, for we cannot know what our fates are in the first place. And as for Yuri and I…_

 _We will continue to shape our fates, together._


End file.
